Images

Volcanic-gas plume rises from Halema‘uma‘u Crater as seen from the Jaggar Museum (Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park) viewing area next to the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Volcanic-gas plume rising from summit of Kīlauea Volcano as seen from Highway 11, Hawai‘i

Volcanic gas plume rises from Halema‘uma‘u Crater, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i

Volcanic gas plume rises from Halema‘uma‘u Crater, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i

Strong tradewinds blow the gas plume from the Overlook vent in Halema‘uma‘u Crater to the southwest. Photograph taken at 4:37 a.m. HST.

Kīlauea Volcano's summit vent within Halema‘uma‘u Crater was about 115 feet in diameter in April 2008, a month after it opened. 

Ash and other lava fragments erupted from the new vent in HALE‘Ama‘uMAU Crater were collected almost daily from several wooden "tear catchers" located near the crater rim and from many more plastic buckets nearby. Six years later, ash collections are still made several times a week.

Gas plume rising from the new Overlook Vent in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i. Trade winds blow the plume to the southwest.

A plume of volcanic gases (chiefly water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide), tiny lava and rock particles, and droplets drifts southwest in the tradewinds from Halema‘uma‘u Crater.

Ash-rich plume rises out of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, Kilauea Volcano Hawaiʻi.
 

View of ash-rich plume rising from a new vent in Halema‘uma‘u Crater in Kīlauea Caldera 5 days after the first explosion from the vent occurred on March 19, 2008. The ash is turning the formerly white steam and gas plume a dusty-brown color. Note the ash fallout down-wind of the plume.

HVO technicians install a solar-powered seismic station near the summit of Kīlauea Volcano to monitor earthquake activity. The seismic data is transmitted via radio signal directly to the observatory, where the data is initially analyzed by automatic computer programs and then examined in greater detail by a seismologist. Mauna Loa Volcano in background.

The rim of Kīlauea Volcano’s summit caldera, normally clear on trade-wind days (left), became nearly obscured by vog (right) on some non-trade wind days beginning in 2008, when sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano’s summit increased to unusually high levels. (This photo has been edited.)

This lava delta at Lae‘apuki added about 24 hectares (60 acres) of new land to the southeast coast of Kīlauea in 2006, but 6.5 hectares (16 acres) slid into the sea in 2007. White plume marks location of lava entering the sea through a tube whose location is shown by blueish fume in middle right.

Lava pours over the former sea cliff at East Lae‘apuki onto an active lava delta (left of cliff). The lava broke out from a lava tube just inland of the sea cliff (right of photograph).

Substantial cracks cutting across a lava delta are clear indication that the delta is subsiding as it grows across the unstable pile of interfingering lava flows and fragments built on the steep submarine slope. The larger cracks on this delta are 1-2 m (3-6 ft) wide.

Lava delta at East Lae‘apuki on the southeast coast of Kīlauea Volcano is about 17 hectares (43 acres). The delta extends about 400 m seaward from the sea cliff and is about 850 m long parallel to the shoreline. The steep sea cliff embayment resulted from collapses of earlier deltas; the collapses undermined and took away parts of the cliff.

Embayment of lava delta shows result of collapse. The initial collapse was large enough to send waves washing over much of the east half of the delta, because visibility was completely lost for almost 20 minutes, due to a steam white-out. Note rocky debris hurled by the waves onto the delta surface in foreground.

Kīlauea Volcano's east Lae‘apuki lava delta pictured hours before it collapsed into the sea over a 90-minute period. White plume marks location of lava entering sea fed by a lava tube within delta.

pāhoehoe lava spilling over sea cliff on south coast of Kīlauea Volcano starts to build a new lava delta. Only three days old, the delta grows slowly as lava spreads over fragmented debris and flows that have accumulated on the steep submarine slope.

Explosive interaction between lava and seawater blasts a tephra jet consisting of steam, hot water, black tephra, and molten fragments into the air. Such explosions are typically directed toward the sea, but many explosions also send a shower of lava more than 10 to 20 m (33 to 66 ft) inland.