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Photo and Video Chronology – Kīlauea – December 15, 2021

By Kīlauea December 15, 2021

A new eruption at Kīlauea's summit began at approximately 3:20 p.m. HST on September 29, 2021. Lava activity is currently confined within Halema‘uma‘u crater, in the closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. 

HVO scientists collect detailed data to assess hazards and understand how the eruption is evolving at Kīlauea's summit, all of which are shared with the National Park Service and emergency managers. Access to this hazardous area is by permission from, and in coordination with, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Lava lake within a crater at Kilauea summit
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A view of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, on Monday, December 13, 2021. Very little eruptive activity had been observed during the previous day at the summit. Over the past week, the lake level has continued to rise and covered more of the lowest down-dropped block (center left). Lava that is slightly lighter in color, adjacent to the crater wall on the north (left) side, represents recently active lava. USGS photo taken at 12:55 p.m. HST from the western rim by J.M. Chang.
An uneven, crusted over lava lake surface and a weakly degassing volcanic vent
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A view of the western part of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava effusion from the west vent (lower left) had significantly decreased during the time of this photo. The western part of the lava lake surface was crusted over and had developed a noticeable topography, with islands perched within the lava lake. This photo was taken at 12:56 p.m. HST on December 13, 2021, from the western crater rim. USGS photo by J. M. Chang.
A small volcanic cone erupting lava spatter from the top and feeding an active lava lake, while emitting volcanic gas
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This zoomed-in view of the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, was captured on December 10, 2021. In this photo, spatter is seen above a perched pond at the top of the cone. The volcanic plume originating at the cone is mostly white in color with a blue tinge, indicative of water vapor and sulfur dioxide, respectively. USGS image by N. Deligne.
A volcanic vent supplies lava into an active lava lake within a crater
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View of the active western half of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u at the Kīlauea summit. The main island that serves as a boundary between the active (west) and inactive (east) parts of the lake is the brown area in the middle right side of this photo. In this view looking northwest, the western fissure cone is visible in the middle left, with a prominent perched lava pond at its top. Lava enters the lava lake at the base of the western fissure cone. Small localized crustal foundering, some with low level spattering, is visible as red hot patches around the lake surface. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

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