Images

Jackson Glacier: 1912, MJ Elrod, U of M Library – 9/3/2009, L McKeon, USGS

Trees and vegetation continue to establish themselves at the base of Jackson Glacier as the glacier retreats.

Logan and Red Eagle Glaciers: Aug. 1914, EC Stebinger, USGS Photo Library – 9/2/2009, L McKeon, USGS

These glaciers were once a continuous glacier, but became separate glaciers as retreat progressed.

Swiftcurrent Glacier: circa 1910, M. Elod, GNP Archives - 9/27/2016, L McKeon, USGS

During the timespan between these photos, it is evident that Swiftcurrent Glacier has retreated and wildfire has consumed a patch of trees at the base of Swiftcurrent Mountain, the broad, beige slope in the background. 

USGS scientists Jason Sorenson and Andrea Tokranov (out of the image) collecting lake-bottom sediments from Ashumet Pond on Cape Cod, Massachusetts for use in laboratory experiments on the fate of PFAS at groundwater/surface-water boundaries.  The sediments are collected by pushing a tube into the lake bottom and transferring the sediment and pore water in

A close-up of the western fissure on Sunday, March 7, within Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. The photos shows a minor change in the vent configuration over the preceding few days. A new lava stream was active north of the normal lava stream entering the lake. This new lava stream was perched above the lake surface, and fed a narrow channel entering the lake.

A wider view of the western portion of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea on Sunday, March 7. The lake has developed a subtle levee on its south margin (just below the center of the photo), with several lava streams cascading down onto the lower level on the eastern end of the levee. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

No matter the season, groundwater science continues! In this March photo, Hydrologic Technician Jeremiah Pomerleau is making groundwater measurements and inspecting the USGS groundwater site monitoring equipment. Due to snowy terrain, Pomerleau used a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) to access the well, requiring a trek of about 15 miles from the main road.

On Friday, HVO geologists observed a breakout from the west vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. This photo shows the vent about an hour before the breakout occurred on the northern side of the cone.

Two video cameras are mounted on a bluff above Marconi Beach, Cape Cod National Seashore, Wellfleet, MA. Every half hour during daylight hours, the video camera collects imagery for 10 minutes and processes it. This is the snapshot image, like a photo, taken at the beginning of the 10-minute window and looking northeast.

Mendenhall postdoctoral fellow Daniel Ciarletta captured this view of the modern beach ridge system at Caladesi Island, along the Gulf coast of central Florida. Ciarletta and colleagues are studying the island as part of a project to explore barrier island response to long-term changes in sediment availability.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater remains active. This view looking to the northwest on Wednesday, March 4, 2021, focuses on the active portion of the lake; the eastern stagnant portion is out of view to the right. Lava enters the lake at the base of the western vent spatter cone (left).

View of the lava lake from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, looking east. There is a small incandescent opening at the top of the west vent spatter cone (bottom-center). Volcanic gas emissions from the active west vent and are being transported to the southwest (bottom-right) by the wind.

HVO uses regular Kīlauea summit helicopter overflights of Halema‘uma‘u crater to create digital elevation models (DEMs) of the crater. The DEMs show changes in the crater over time and can be used to estimate erupted volume, eruption rate, and map features of interest.

ANIMATED GIF: This animated image file (GIF) includes a series of thermal maps—ranging from daily to several weeks apart—made from helicopter overflight thermal imagery of Halema‘uma‘u crater, Kīlauea summit. The set of thermal maps are in a continuous loop showing the lava lake changes throughout the eruption.

Data from a Kīlauea summit helicopter overflight on March 4th allowed for the calculation of the depth of the lava in Halema‘uma‘u crater. The deepest parts of the lake (darkest reds) exceed 200 meters (650 feet). Different-colored lines in Halema‘uma‘u show the perimeter of the lava lake and the vents over the course of the eruption.

HVO scientists conducted an overflight of Kīlauea's summit the morning of March 4 to document the ongoing eruption. No significant changes were observed—the vent in the northwest wall of Halema‘uma‘u continues to erupt and lava continues to slowly fill the crater.

In this view of Kīlauea Volcano's south caldera area, the margin of the 1982 lava flows are visible (right), as is a portion of Crater Rim Drive. During World War II, bulldozers were used to create mounds in an effort to prevent planes from landing in this area of Kīlauea.

An aerial view of Pu‘u Pua‘i, Kīlauea Iki, and Kīlauea caldera. Though the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u isn't visible from this vantage point, the bluish-tinged plume of volcanic gasses is visible near the center of the photo.

Another view of Kīlauea caldera, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Ha‘akulamanu (Sulphur Banks) trail is visible in the foreground. The gas plume rising from Halema‘uma‘u in the background marks where the current eruption is taking place. Uēkahuna—the summit of Kīlauea—is visible in the upper right portion of the image. USGS image by K.

Subtle steaming was visible at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō during HVO's overflight of Kīlauea on March 4, 2021. Steam is normally visible as the vent—which was active for more than 35 years—continues to cool, following the 2018 Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō collapse.

HVO's overflight today also included KILAUEA's lower East Rift Zone, where geologists continue to document and map the 2018 eruption deposits. Fissure 8, visible in the center of this photo, emits steam as this geologically-young feature continues to cool.