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Kīlauea's summit eruption continues on the Island of Hawai‘i; the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u erupts lava into the lava lake. Gas emissions and seismic activity at the summit remain elevated. HVO field crews—equipped with specialized safety gear and PPE—monitor the current eruption from within the closed area of Hawai&lsq
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.
Photo of the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at Kīlauea summit. Photo taken from the west side of Kīlauea caldera rim taken at 3:04 p.m. HST. This photo shows the west vent feeding the active western part of the lava lake, as well as the inactive eastern part of the lava lake. There are some small breakouts of pāhoehoe lava int he western part of the lava lake that occasionally overflow into the perched part of the lava lake's margin. USGS photo by D. Downs.
This photo shows an area near the center of Kīlauea's summit lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, where lobes of lava from the western fissure (beyond the left edge of this photo) would episodically advance and stall. The active lava also showed a overall retreat in reach from the vent with the decline in activity levels through the week, leaving a terraced platform that marked the farthest reach of each lobe, mimicking the contour lines on a topographic map. USGS photo by M. Patrick.
No major changes were observed over the weekend at the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. On Saturday, February 6, the lake activity seemed slightly diminished, likely due to summit deflation. This photo shows the western fissure. The lava level had dropped slightly in this photo with the reduced activity levels, as shown by the exposed rim in the bottom left portion of the photo. USGS photo by M. Patrick.
This photo shows a close-up of the lava stream in the inlet at the western fissure, at Kīlauea's summit lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u. The flow velocity today was relatively sluggish, consistent with the overall reduction in lake activity over the preceding few days. USGS photo by M. Patrick.
A zoomed-in view of a section of the western active lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea summit. Several areas of crustal foundering on the lava lake surface were visible during the afternoon of Friday, February 5, 2021. USGS photo taken by K. Lynn.
A close-up view of one of the smaller islands in the stagnant eastern portion of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. Debris from a partial collapse of this island is visible on the stagnant lake surface (lower right) which exposed the red oxidized interior. On Friday, February 5, several similar collapse features were visible at a few of the islands on the stagnant east side of the lava lake. USGS photo taken by K. Lynn.
A close view of the active western portion of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at Kīlauea summit on Friday, February 5, 2021. The active west side of the lake had numerous surface breakouts and foundering crust. Lava effusion continues into the lava lake from the base of the west vent (left). USGS photo taken by K. Lynn.
On February 4, HVO geologists observed brief heavy rainfall on the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The rain flashed to thick white steam as it hit the hot lava surface. The western vent, visible in the lower left, continued to supply lava to the western active portion of the lava lake. USGS photo taken by J. Schmith from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u.
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