View of north and south vents from the northwest, approximately 21 hours after the end of episode 18 of the eruption at Kīlauea's summit. Volcanic gases, mostly water vapor, obscure most of the view as the wind blows the gas northwards. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

Episode 18 on April 22, 2025, of Kīlauea's ongoing eruption occurred during wind conditions that resulted in tephra being deposited in the Uēkahuna area, north of the vents. The Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park temporarily closed the Uēkahuna area at the time, and cleaned affected roads and parking lots after episode 18 ended (foreground). The hazardous area permanently closed to visitors on the other side of the gate was not cleaned (top half of the photo), providing a visual indication of how thick tephra was. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

Telephoto view of lava fountaining from the south vent in Halema‘uma‘u during episode 18 of the eruption within the summit caldera of Kīlauea. The south vent fountains reached above the crater rim walls during the episode and recorded heights of about 600 feet (200 meters). USGS photo by H. Winslow.

HVO scientists participated in an overflight mission during episode 18 of the Halema‘uma‘u eruption. The crew landed on the crater floor to collect a molten lava sample, pictured here. HVO collects molten samples to retain a "snapshot" of the lava before extensive cooling. This preserves pre-eruptive information of the lava such as magma storage depths and temperatures. USGS photo by D. Downs.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists on the caldera rim of Kīlauea observed lava fountain heights of about 150 meters (500 feet) around 1 p.m. on April 22, shortly before episode 18 ended. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists participated in an overflight mission during episode 18 of the ongoing eruption in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. The crew collected images to construct landscape elevation models and thermal imagery of the crater floor. The south vent showed high fountaining during episode 18, with fountain heights reaching over 600 feet (200 meters). The north vent activity remained below 200 feet (60 meters). USGS photo by H. Winslow. 

This photo shows a close up of the south vent at the summit of Kīlauea during episode 18.  USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

This photo shows a close up of the north vent at the summit of Kīlauea during episode 18 of the ongoing eruption.  Low fountaining supplied lava to a lava pond that was continuously overflowing the rim of the cone, creating swiftly moving cascades of lava down the flank of the cone.  USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Dawn timelapse image showing the shadow of the episode 18 lava fountain in Halemaʻumaʻu on the west caldera wall at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.   

This photo shows a close up of the south vent at the summit of Kīlauea on April 22 during episode 18.  USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

A closer view of the ephemeral lava channel active the morning of April 20, supplied by lava from the intermittent activity at the south vent at Kīlauea summit. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists accessed the caldera rim on April 20 by driving on Crater Rim Drive in the hazardous closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. This area, which is generally downwind of the eruptive vents, has now been covered by 2 meters (yards) of tephra from the recent lava fountaining. The outgassing plume is often ground hugging, as it is here, producing limited visibility. Staff working in this hazardous closed area carry personal protective equipment at all times. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Minor vent activity the morning of April 20 around 8 a.m. HST produced a small flow on Halema‘uma‘u crater floor and an intermittent dome fountain. The low fountain and spattering at the vent often showed a cycle of 3-4 minutes, with lava rising and falling in the conduit at that timescale. The activity was off and on into the early afternoon. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The low dome fountain at the south vent o April 20 was supplying lava to a flow that was approximately 500 meters (550 yards) long. The tip of the lava flow was pouring into the depression formed by the drained lava pond from episode 17. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A koa‘e kea (white tailed tropicbird) soars above Halema‘uma‘u crater floor in front of low fountaining at the south vent on April 20. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close-up of the low fountain at the south vent on April 20 that was supplying lava into the lava channel, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.