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Images and Chronology

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8 February 2012

Quicktime movie showing the active lava tube system and a flight along it

This Quicktime movie begins with a view of lava in made possible by a small collapse pit. The lava is swiftly moving towards the northeast, and this represents lava within crater that is entering the lava tube system which, in turn, feeds the active flow field. The movie continues with a flight along this active lava tube system, with the trace of the tube evident by numerous fuming points. The movie ends just short of the area of active pahoehoe breakouts, where lava exits the tube system onto the surface. These flows were active about 300 m (330 yards) north of the boundary of Royal Gardens subdivision.

A view of the east rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater and the active flow field

This photograph shows the east rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. A collapsed spatter cone revealed a swiftly flowing stream of lava heading northeast, into the tube system that supplies the active flow field. The active flows today were 6 km (3.7 miles) southeast of Pu`u `Ō `ō.

At the front of the active flow field, several narrow streams of lava were active, reflecting a relatively high level of activity today.

26 January 2012

A small lava lake filling a depression on the eastern side of floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater

Left. View looking east at a small lava lake filling a depression on the eastern side of floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. The smooth surface of the lake is just above the center of the photo, and the source of the lava is a hole at the southern edge of the lake (to the right in this view). The heavily fuming area just beyond the lake to the left is the east wall vent, which was degassing loudly today and ejecting small gobs of lava. Right. Surface flows, visible here as the lighter-colored lava, were active about 4 km (2.5 miles) east-southeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, where a low rootless shield is being constructed.

25 January 2012

Quicktime movie showing vigorous spattering in Halema`uma`u

This Quicktime movie shows vigorous spattering along the south margin of the Halema`uma`u lava lake. Lava, upwelling in the northern portion of the lake (out of view), slowly migrates to this southern margin where it sinks back into the conduit.

12 January 2012

A burst of gas from a small vent in Pu`u `Ō `ō crater throws spatter

A burst of gas from a small vent in Pu`u `Ō `ō crater throws spatter about 15 m (50 ft) into the air. Over the past week, occasional spattering and short lava flows have been observed within the crater.

A single area of breakouts, visible as the silvery patch in the center of the photograph, was active on today’s overflight. These surface flows are high above the pali, about 3.5 km (2.2 miles) southeast of Pu`u `Ō `ō cone. Pu`u `Ō `ō is visible in the upper left portion of the image. The flows on the coastal plain, as well as the ocean entry, have been inactive for the last two weeks.

27 December 2011

Near-vertical view of lava lake at Halema`uma`u and ocean entry at West Ka`ili`ili

Left. This near-vertical view from the helicopter shows the surface of the lava lake at Halema`uma`u. Right. Lava has continued to enter the ocean at West Ka`ili`ili, with numerous entry points scattered along a broad section of the coast. The small boat in the center of the image provides a rough sense of scale.

One of the individual streams of lava cascading over the sea cliff, producing a thick steam plume at the water’s edge.

This skylight provided a clear view of the lava stream inside the lava tube on today’s overflight, and a swiftly moving current could easily be seen.

Left. This thermal image shows the western portion of the West Ka`ili`ili ocean entry, which hosts numerous small entry points. Active breakouts can be seen on the coastal plain along the west margin of the flow field. Right. View of scattered pahoehoe lobes and toes on the coastal plain, just inland from the ocean entry.

13 December 2011

Small streams of lava cascading over the sea cliff, and entering the ocean

The current lava flow, coming down the pali and traversing the coastal plain, reached the ocean late last week. The ocean entry point is within the National Park, near its eastern border. Today, numerous small streams of lava were cascading over the sea cliff, and lava entering the water was starting to build a small delta.

This photograph shows two channels of lava coming over the sea cliff, reaching the new lava delta.

6 December 2011

Awesome views of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone and crater showing the fume sources

View looking southwest of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone and crater. The fume sources on the northeast flank (lower left) mark the path of the lava tube that is feeding flows on the pali. The vent feeding the tube is the fuming area near the crater rim (center); an active circular lava pond is immediately behind the vent. The pond began to take shape and become slightly elevated above the crater floor in the past couple of days after lava began erupting in the crater on Saturday (12/5), quickly filling a depression in the east part of the crater. On the far west edge of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is a vent (fuming) that erupted many small flows last week.

Close view of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. Incandescent spatter cone stands above fume rising from the main vent area. Lava is still erupting in the lava pond, marked by the smooth shiny surface behind the spatter cone, but the level appears to have stabilized overnight.

Lava spilling down the steep pali this morning formed many small channels and 'a'ā flows. Many such flows were visible on the pali overnight.

Pāhoehoe flows spreading on the coastal plain about 0.6 km from the base of the pali. When visited this morning, the flows had spread out considerably as they filled in low areas of the coastal plain. The leading edge of the flows were about 2.5 km from the ocean.

2 December 2011

Active pāhoehoe, fed by a lava tube originating at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō has been migrating downslope within the Royal Gardens subdivision

This photograph, taken from the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, shows a cone in the crater which was occasionally spitting minor amounts of spatter from the incandescent opening at its top. In the foreground, several altered blocks (pink-orange colored) sitting on the recent lava flow are evidence of a small explosive event in the crater — sometime in the last two weeks — that cast the blocks onto the rim.

Active pāhoehoe, fed by a lava tube originating at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, has been migrating downslope within the Royal Gardens subdivision over the past week. The flow front is outlined by the white dotted line. The flow is running alongside a forested kipuka, triggering brush fires visible in the photo. The flow is following the west margin of lava flows emplaced in February 2010, which brings the current flow close to the last occupied residence (orange structure in center of photo) in Royal Gardens.

21 November 2011

A thin portion of the roof over the lava tube reveals the lava stream

A collapse of a thin portion of the roof over the lava tube reveals the lava stream beneath the surface. The fluid stream is the bright orange color, with the dark orange area to the left representing the hot, incandescent tube wall. The lava stream today was relatively slow moving in the tube, perhaps reflecting a low rate of lava supply to the flow front.

For a brief period this afternoon a vigorously spattering vent at the east end of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater fed a swiftly moving river of lava that cascaded into the deeper portions of the crater. The cascade was over within about ten minutes of this photograph, but the vent continued to spatter.

10 November 2011

A large skylight on the lava tube is supplying lava to surface flows north of Royal Gardens subdivision

This photograph, looking east, shows a large skylight on the lava tube that is supplying lava to surface flows north of Royal Gardens subdivision. The tube trace, which heads southeast, is marked by the line of fume sources in the upper right portion of the image. The surface flows, out of view in this image, were 1.1 km (0.7 miles) north of the uppermost street in Royal Gardens today.

A close-up view of the skylight. The flowing lava stream in the tube was easily visible.

3 November 2011

The active episode 61 pāhoehoe flows of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō

View looking northwest through rain at the silvery flows at the front of the active episode 61 flow field. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is hidden in the clouds in the top left part of the photo. The ‘a‘ā flow at bottom center is the inactive terminus of the initial flow emplaced on September 21–22, 2011, after the episode 61 fissure on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s east flank opened on September 21. The active flows reached the front of the ‘a‘ā flow several hours later.

Ground view looking at the terminus of the active episode 61 pāhoehoe flows. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, the source of the flows, is hidden in the clouds at the top of the photo, just left of center.

25 October 2011

High aerial view of the active lava channel of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater

Left. View looking southwest at the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone is at the top of the photo, and the trace of the September 21 fissure is defined by the line of fume at the center of the photo. Right. View looking east at the east edge of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater (bottom of photo) and the trace of the September 21 fissure (center of photo). The active lava tube carrying lava downslope to the southeast is marked by the line of fume that trends toward the upper right side of the photo.

Left. View looking nearly straight down into the open top of a spatter cone built over the September 21 fissure on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s east flank. The brighter, yellowish zone is the surface of the active lava stream as it flows downslope (toward the top of the photo). Right. View to the northwest looking at the active flows (center of photo). Activity over the past few weeks has built a broad, low rootless shield (a shield-shaped mound of lava built on the flow field, not the vent), and there has been little advancement downslope. Flows from the shield are slowly burying the ‘a‘ā flow built on September 21 and 22 (dark-colored flow on left side of photo).

7 October 2011

The active pāhoehoe flows of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō

This thermal image, looking northwest, shows the active flows east of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. Bright yellow portions of the image represent areas of active lava. A short channelized flow was active on the upper east flank of the cone, with most activity – comprising pāhoehoe (center of image) - heading southeast. These pāhoehoe flows had reached about 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) from the vent during today’s overflight.

A close-up of the active pāhoehoe flows.

29 September 2011

Current flows that have erupted on the east side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone

This photo, looking west, shows the current flows that have erupted on the east side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone is the large fume source in the upper left portion of the photograph, and the current flows are sourced from a fissure extending down its upper east flank. In the left-center of the photograph, the bright patch of lava is active pāhoehoe. In the right-center of the photograph is a partially buried cone, Pu`u Halulu, from a much earlier episode of the current eruption. Immediately above Halulu, the dark flow is an 'a'ā flow that became active this morning.

Close-up of the front of an active pāhoehoe flow from this afternoon.

23 September 2011

High aerial view of the active lava channel of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater

Left. Lava channel fed by September 21 fissure eruption coursing down the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. Right. Stalled terminus of the ‘a‘ā flow fed by the September 21 fissure eruption.

Left. Close-up view of the lava channel on the relatively steep slope of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s east flank. Right. Lava falls formed at a topographic break in slope near the eastern base of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The cascade is about 6 m (20 ft) high.

High aerial view of the active lava channel. The lowest, eastern-most end of the fissure is in view at the bottom of the photo. Rather than feeding the ‘a‘ā flow active for the first couple of days, the flow now is spreading out on the low slope area at the eastern base of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, visible in the top half of the photo.

23 September 2011

Three Quicktime movies of the active lava streams from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō

Video showing the fast-moving upper section of the lava stream on the relatively steep eastern flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The video pans to the left to show the smaller lava stream eruption from the lower (eastern) end of the fissure.

Video showing the main lava stream on the lower east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. This stream carries most of the lava—the rest splits off to the south (to the left) and flows behind the mounds at upper left. The previous video shows the section of the stream visible at upper right. The lava stream here is about 4 m (13 ft) across, 2 m (7 ft) deep, and is moving at speed of about 3 m per second (10 ft per second).

Video showing a 6 m (20 ft) high lava cascade near the eastern base of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. This is the same lava stream shown in the previous two videos. The lava stream continues on several hundred more meters (yards) before transitioning into rubbly pāhoehoe and ‘a‘ā and stalling well short of yesterday’s flow front, which is now inactive.

21 September 2011

A new fissure opened and began erupting on the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater

Left. A new fissure opened and began erupting on the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō early this morning, feeding channelized ‘a‘ā flow. The fissure—the source of the lava flow—is shown in this image. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone and crater is in the background. View is to the southwest. Right. Close-up aerial view of the head of the erupting fissure. The edge of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater is at lower right. View is to the east.

Left. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone, and the erupting fissure, is just to the left of top center. The channelized flow initially heads east-northeast, then turns to the southeast. The front of the flow is at the bottom of the image, where it is advancing as an ‘a‘ā flow. Right. View looking east-northeast, directly down the upper end of the fissure. The fuming cones in the foreground are parts of the fissure that erupted when the fissure opened but have since shut down. The spatter beyond, where the fissure is still erupting, is reaching about 2 m (7 ft) into the air. The lava channel is visible in the background.

This view is to the east, looking at the western-most erupting part of the fissure. This lava joins with lava erupting from the fissure out of sight below and feeds into the channelized flow visible crossing the through the background of the photo.

16 September 2011

Two vertical air photo, stitched together, show all of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s crater

A deflation–inflation (DI) event, which began yesterday afternoon, led to a marked decrease in eruptive activity at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō overnight. The western lava lake, at upper right, became inactive, while the eastern lava lake, filling the center of the frame, dropped several meters and became very sluggish. The drop in level revealed islands nearly hidden when the lake was full. The view is toward the south.

Two vertical air photos, stitched together, show all of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s crater. The islands within the eastern lava lake, to the right, give it an appearance somewhat like Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”. This perspective also shows the western lava lake, just left of center, and the channels that carried lava from the western lava lake into two perched ponds satellitic to the main western lake. The perched pond at upper left is formed on top of what was, three days ago, a pit called the West Gap pit. The perched pond at lower left is formed on top of what was the Puka Nui pit, which was filled in late July.

15 September 2011

Perched lava ponds have developed outside of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater

Since overflows to the west began yesterday morning (9/14), perched lava ponds have developed outside of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater on the cone’s upper west flank. Unless something else gives, these ponds will likely continue to grow taller, impounded by chilled lava from the ponds themselves. Overflows from the ponds will continue to mantle the west flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The pond in the foreground is formed by lava exiting the crater through a broad gap in the cone called the “West Gap”. Lava also flows out of the crater through another broad gap called the “Puka Nui Gap”, and is visible in the background just above the center of the image. A remnant of tephra from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone pokes up between the two ponds, just left of image center. The white spot on top of this tephra is a time-lapse camera which has little time left in this world.

14 September 2011

Awesome views of the active lava lakes in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater

The level of the lava lake on the east side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater is even with the crater’s northeast rim. Standing at that spot afforded an eerie view looking across the surface of the lake. A scientist, rescuing equipment, is visible on the crater rim in the background. The view is toward the south.

Left. Lava has been overflowing the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater over the last few days. These overflows have traveled up to about 500 m down Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s east flank before stalling as the slope flattens. The overflows show up in this photo as lighter gray pāhoehoe and ‘a‘ā flows at the center of the image. The view is to the west.Right. The overflows were fed from the edge of an active lava lake filling the east side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. As the lake and its containing levees has risen, an ever increasing amount of the east rim of the crater is being buried. This photo, looking roughly northwest, shows lava overflowing the east rim of the crater.

Left. A lava lake also fills the western side of the crater. This morning, lava overflowed that lake, and then filled and overtopped the northwest rim of a pit on the west side of the crater (the West Gap pit; just above and to the right side of the photo). These flows have traveled up to about 400 m down the northwest flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō to its base. View is to the northwest.Right. This photo shows an overflow from the northwest side of the West Gap pit advancing as a narrow channelized flow. The flow is just beginning to transition into ‘a‘ā at its terminus. The view is to the south-southeast.

9 September 2011

The active lava within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater showing the two perched lava ponds

This thermal image, looking east, shows the two perched lava ponds within Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. The eastern perched pond was just below the level of the east rim today.

This photograph, looking west, shows the active lava within Pu`u `Ō `ō crater in the early morning light.

This photograph shows a close-up of the perched lava pond abutting the east rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. The lava was just a meter (yard) or so below the low point on the rim, and was close to spilling over.

This vertical view from today’s overflight shows the layout of activity within Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. The shiny area towards the right portion of the crater floor is the eastern perched lava pond, while the shiny area in the left portion of the crater floor (close to the center of the image) is the western perched pond.

26 August 2011

The new lava lake in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō has buried much of the floor of August 3

The new lava lake in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō has buried much of the floor of the August 3, 2011, collapse crater beneath a maximum of about 45 m (~148 ft) of lava. Most of the lava upwells at the east end of the lake (lower right) and flows toward the west, much like the lava lake prior to the August 3 flank breakout and crater collapse.

Left. The new lava lake has become slightly perched above the surrounding crater floor, as shown by the distinct levees visible in this photo.Right. This photo, similar to the previous, was taken from the same location as photos posted on July 21 and June 9 (and several other dates scattered over the past several months) to provide a comparison to past activity in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

8 August 2011

Quicktime movie showing the vents on the lower west flank of Pu`u `Ō `ō

This Quicktime movie shows views from today’s overflight of the vents on the lower west flank of Pu`u `Ō `ō. There are several vents, topped by spatter cones, that are feeding narrow, fast-moving flows that feed into a broad area of ponded lava.

Left. This view, looking east, shows the broad area of ponded lava fed by two main channels originating from several individual vents. The fume-filled crater of Pu`u `Ō `ō is in the background. The darker lava in the foreground, at the bottom of the image, is from the March 2011 Kamoamoa eruption. Right. One of the more vigorous vents, in the lower left, is topped by a tall (6 m, or 20 ft, high) spatter cone. The flow from this vent cascades down several steps, joining the flow from two other nearby vents, before flowing under a small bridge and into the broad area of ponded lava to the west.

Left. Pu`u `Ō `ō crater, following the collapse of the crater floor on August 3, has been filled with thick fume. A very tiny flow, visible only with a thermal camera, was active on the crater floor.Right. This thermal image, looking southwest, shows the very small flow, at the bottom of the image, active in the bottom of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. In the upper right, the active flows on the lower west flank of Pu`u `Ō `ō can be seen.

4 August 2011

Awesome movies showing the timelapse sequence from Pu`u `Ō `ō

This Quicktime movie shows a timelapse sequence taken from the webcam on Pu`u `Ō `ō’s north rim. The movie starts just after noon on August 3, with the typical westward flow of lava within the perched lava lake. Just after 2pm, breakouts start on the flank of the perched lava lake and the lake begins to drop. Remarkably, while the lake drops the circulation is maintained, until the lake finally disintegrates. By the end of the sequence, the lava lake is gone and floor has dropped about 80 meters (260 ft). Around 3:15pm, you can see a portion of the rim, at the very right end of the image, collapse into the crater.

This Quicktime movie shows a timelapse sequence taken from a thermal camera on the south rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō, beginning just before noon on August 3. Just after 2pm, the lava lake and surrounding floor abruptly drop. As the lava lake drops, solidified portions of the crater floor slide into the fluid lava. By the end of the sequence, the floor of the crater is composed of only hot rubble and inclined blocks of the pre-existing crater floor. The temperature scale is degrees Celsius.

This Quicktime movie shows views of the numerous spattering vents during today’s overflight. Spattering at each source is creating spatter cones and ramparts, and the lava issuing from the individual vents is creating a series of narrow streams which join to feed a broader flow channel.

This Quicktime movie shows activity at some of the individual vents, which are each distinct in their behavior.

Thermal images of the individual vents and rubble-filled crater of Pu`u `Ō `ō

This thermal image, looking south, shows the individual vents feeding distinct channels.

This thermal image, looking west, shows the rubble-filled crater of Pu`u `Ō `ō in the foreground, with the active flow field in the top half of the image.

3 August 2011

PRESS RELEASE—New lava flow breaks out on Kīlauea’s east rift zone

Lava broke out from a vent on the west flank of Pu`u `Ō `ō cone

Around 2:20 p.m., HST, on August 3, lava broke out from a vent (center) low on the west flank of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone. Lava erupting from the flank vent is entirely within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and pose no hazard to residents.

Lava flowing from vents on the west flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō formed two branches. A weak north arm advanced northward into forested kipuka (upper right). A higher-volume south arm quickly advanced down Kīlauea’s south flank along the edge of flows erupted in 2002-2004 (upper left). Both flows are entirely within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and pose no hazard to residents. The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater is shown in the foreground.

Rubble after collapse of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater floor and perched lava lake

At 2:02 p.m., HST, on August 3, the floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, which had risen significantly over the past month, forming a dome beneath the perched lava lake, started to subside. By 3:15 p.m., the crater floor and perched lava lake began to collapse. Within a couple of hours, the lava lake was no longer visible, and the crater floor was covered in rubble.

29 July 2011

Awesome views of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater

Photo looking southwest at the lava lake in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. Starting by July 25, lava began to exit Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō through a gap in the southwest side of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone, and flowed a short distance down Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s flank. By July 29, lava had begun to pond on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s southwest flank, completely filling the Puka Nui and MLK pits.

Left. Another photo of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, this one looking northwest. In addition to flowing out of the crater to the southwest, lava has also been filling in the northeast side of the crater. Lava there is within 6 m (20 ft) of the crater rim. The gas plume from the vent at Kīlauea’s summit is in the background. The gentle slope of Mauna Loa volcano forms the skyline beyond. Right. Starting in late June, the crater floor around the lava lake began to uplift. The photo here shows the flank of the east side of the lava lake. Prior to uplift, this steeply dipping surface was nearly flat-lying.

Left. The lava lake within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō stands higher than the surrounding crater floor. The elevation of the lava lake surface is roughly even with the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. This photo, from a slightly higher portion of the east rim, looks across the lava lake surface to the opposite lake rim. Right. The lava accumulating on the southeast side of the crater has begun to form a low shield that extends out from the crater and has buried the Puka Nui and MLK pits. Compare this photo to one taken last week (July 21) from the same spot.

21 July 2011

Lava filled the floor of the Puka Nui pit and the MLK pit on the west end of Pu`u `Ō `ō

Over the past few days, lava has filled the floor of the Puka Nui pit (lower left) and the MLK pit (lower right) on the west end of Pu`u `Ō `ō.

Left. Looking south toward the MLK pit (straight) and Puka Nui pit (right). Lava is only a few meters (yards) away from overtopping the pits and flowing onto the southwest flank of Pu`u `Ō `ō.Right. A Scroll down to the photo taken on June 29 to compare the amount of uplift the floor of the crater has endured in the last month. This photo was taken from a similar spot to the lower right of the three photos posted that day.

18 July 2011

Quicktime movie showing the recent uplift of the lava lake and crater floor in Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater

This Quicktime movie shows the recent uplift of the lava lake and crater floor in Pu`u `Ō `ō crater, captured by a thermal camera on the crater rim. The time-lapse movie spans July 9 to today, July 18, and is looped several times. The uplift was continuous between July 9 and 16, but had stalled by the 17th. Throughout this movie, the lava lake activity in the crater was steady, with lava upwelling in the east portion of the lake (right margin of image) and flowing towards the west end (left), where it would sink. Frequent small spattering events are commonly observed on the lake margins, throwing spatter over the rim. A small collapse of the steep levee wall resulted in a short lived breach of lava out of the lake on July 15. The uplift that this movie shows is probably due to the shallow injection of magma beneath the crater floor. For scale, the lava lake is about 200 meters (660 feet) long and 100 meters (330 feet) wide. The temperature scale is in degrees Celsius.

11 July 2011

Quicktime movie showing timelapse sequence from Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater

This Quicktime movie shows a timelapse sequence taken from a thermal camera on the rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. The movie spans from May 26 to today and shows the rising level of the lava lake in the crater. In the first part of the movie, covering most of June, the level of the lava lake rises primarily due to overflows building the steep levee walls higher. In the last portion of the movie, from about July 1 to today, much of the rise of the lava lake has been due to uplift of the crater floor, carrying the lava lake upward. This uplift has been especially pronounced over the past few days, shown by the final few moments of the movie. The temperature scale is in degrees Celsius.

29 June 2011

Looking west into Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater and the perched pond

Looking west into Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater. Recent flows that have spilled out of the perched pond stand out by their silver color. These overflows have built up the crater floor another 5 m (16 ft) since last week. Kane Nui o Hamo, Mauna Ulu, and Pu`u Huluhulu are in the background.

Left. A breach in the south wall of the perched pond allowed lava to gush out onto the floor of Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater.Right. A different perspective of the perched pond, from the west side of Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater.

23 June 2011

The active lava lake in Pu`u `Ō `ō and its levee

View looking east into Pu`u `Ō `ō, its crater partly filled by lava flows accumulating on the crater floor. The active lava lake in the crater is 205 m (673 ft) long and varies in width from 80–115 m (262–377 ft). The West Gap pit is in the central foreground, and the Puka Nui and MLK pits are to the right (the MLK pit is in back). The crater has filled in vertically about 100 m (328 ft) since the crater collapsed on March 5, 2011, at the start of the uprift Kamoamoa eruption. It still has about 12 m (39 ft) to go to reach the level of the crater floor prior to the collapse.

When viewed from a steeper angle (here looking west) the lava lake’s shape makes it look like a huge slipper. Recent overflows appear as lighter-colored patches of lava on the crater floor around the lake.

Along with overflows, low-level spattering from points wandering around the perimeter of the lava lake continually builds up the levee that impounds the lake.

The lava lake’s levee stands up to 8 m (26 ft) above the surrounding crater floor. This steep-sided levee impounds the lava and forms what is called a “perched” lava lake. Pieces of the rim occasionally collapse into the lake, leading to sudden and fast-moving overflows of lava onto the crater floor.

10 June 2011

Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater is once again perched above the surrounding crater floor

Left. HVO geologist and helicopter pilot repair a mobile Webcam on Kupaianaha to continue monitoring the east flank of Pu`u `Ō `ō.Right. Over the past week, the lava pond in Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater has rebuilt its retaining walls and is once again perched 3-5 m (10-16 ft) above the surrounding crater floor.

2 June 2011

Quicktime video showing the lava lake deep within Halema`uma`u vent

This Quicktime video shows recent activity at the lava lake deep within the Halema`uma`u vent cavity. Spattering can be seen in the northwest corner (upper left) and a steady stream of lava, coming from an unseen source towards the southeast, is in the lower right. For scale, the lava lake is about 150 meters (164 yards) wide here. The lava stream plunges into the lava lake, disrupting the crust in a chaotic fashion and later inducing a rotation to the flow in the lake. The photo on this page from June 1 shows the source of the lava stream photographed during an overflight, which is the only way this portion of the vent cavity floor can be seen.

1 June 2011

A near-vertical look inside the vent cavity of the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent

A near-vertical look at a lava cascade inside the vent cavity of the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent.

Overflows from the lava pond in Pu`u `Ō `ō and numerous spattering sources

Left. Overflows from the lava pond in Pu`u `Ō `ō have nearly leveled the crater floor with the perched pond. The floor of the crater is now 39 m (128 ft) below the east rim.Right. Numerous spattering sources were active on the east end of the pond, causing pond level fluctuations throughout the day.

27 May 2011

Quicktime movie showing the refilling of Pu`u `Ō `ō over the past two months

This Quicktime movie shows the refilling of Pu`u `Ō `ō over the past two months, taken from a thermal camera on the south rim of the crater. Lava drained from Pu`u `Ō `ō on March 5 during the Kamoamoa fissure eruption, and remained absent for several weeks. This thermal camera began recording on March 18, and shows the abrupt return of lava to the crater floor on March 26. Lava refilling has been very unsteady since then, occurring in fits and starts, and has culminated in the development of a perched lava lake over the past several weeks. This perched lava lake has steep walls about 8-10 m (26-33 ft) above the surrounding crater floor. The temperature scale is in degrees Celsius.

20 May 2011

Aerial view of the perched lava lake in Pu`u `Ō `ō crater

Aerial view of the perched lava lake in Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. Small fluctuations in the lava lake level lead to frequent overflows. These serve to build the levee around the lake even higher, amplifying the perched appearance.

A low-angle view of the perched lava lake shows how it is elevated above the floor of the crater, like an above-ground swimming pool. The levee around the stands some 8-10 m (26-33 ft) above the surrounding crater floor. Also visible as the bottom of the photo is a new vent which began erupting around midnight last night on the western edge of the crater floor. There are three scientists standing on the crater rim in the background, just left of center. Can you spot them?

11 May 2011

A complex configuration deep within the vent cavity in Halema`uma`u crater

Left. A complex configuration has been in place deep within the vent cavity in Halema`uma`u crater. Lava upwells in the west portion of the vent floor (upper left of photograph), feeding the small, crusted, circular lava lake. In the east portion of the vent cavity floor, lava upwells (out of view, towards the lower right of the photo) and feeds an elevated and swiftly moving lava stream, which flows west and cascades over a small cliff into the lava lake.Right. A close-up of the swiftly moving lava stream, plunging into the lava lake.

6 May 2011

An infrared image of the summit vent in Halema`uma`u crater

An infrared image of the summit vent in Halema`uma`u crater. The bright white area is a cascade of lava, falling from a shelf into a deeper pond within the vent cavity.

The rise and spill over of the pond on the floor of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater

Left. Looking northwest at the lava pond on the floor of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. At the time of the photograph, the level of the lava pond was about 3 m (10 ft) below the floor of the crater.Right. An hour later, the lava had risen high enough to spill over the pond walls and expand across the crater floor.

29 April 2011

The floor of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater continues its slow rise

The floor of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater continues its slow rise as lava pours out of a new vent at the base of the east wall. The height of the floor has risen 20 m (66 ft) over the past two weeks.

A close-up of the spattering source on the floor of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. A small spatter rampart has formed along the east side of the vent.

21 April 2011

A small lava lake is active at the bottom of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater

Left. A small lava lake, confined by slightly elevated levees, is active at the bottom of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. The lake is roughly the same size as a football field.Right. In this close-up view of the lava lake in Pu`u `Ō `ō, lava upwells at the west edge of the lake (bottom center of the photo) and flows toward the east (top of photo) where the mostly degassed lava sinks back down, presumably circulating back into the vent.

Thermal image of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater showing the lava lake within the crater

This thermal image was taken from the south rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater, showing the lava lake within the crater. Hotter surfaces, such as the narrow zones between crustal plates, are shown by yellow and white colors. Cooler surfaces, such as the cooled lava around the lake, are shown by blue and black colors. The large size of the crustal plates attests to the relatively sluggish motion of the lava surface.

15 April 2011

Pu`u `Ō `ō continues to host a small lava lake at the bottom of the crater

Pu`u `Ō `ō continues to host a small lava lake at the bottom of the crater. Minor spattering and overturning of the lake surface was observed by field crews today.

28 March 2011

Lava reappeared in Pu`u `Ō `ō crater, covering the floor with a small lava lake

Lava reappeared in Pu`u `Ō `ō crater on Saturday morning (March 26), covering the floor of the crater with a small lava lake.

14 March 2011

Measuring the thickness of an 'a'ā flow produced by the Kamoamoa fissure eruption

Left. Measuring the thickness of an 'a'ā flow produced by the Kamoamoa fissure eruption. The measuring stick is 2 m (6.5 ft) tall. Right. Measuring the flow thickness from another section of the 'a'ā flow, using a 1 m (3.2 ft) orange pole for scale.

10 March 2011

The east rift zone eruption is currently in a hiatus

The east rift zone eruption is currently in a hiatus. The east and west Kamoamoa fissures are still fuming, but no lava is erupting. Pu`u `Ō `ō is the fuming cone in the background.

Fume from Pu`u `Ō `ō has diminished enough to see a portion of the rubble-filled crater floor.

Gobs of spatter solidified in the remaining trees. The spatter was erupted from the first fissure to open on March 5.

Ground cracks between the east and west Kamoamoa fissure segments

Ground cracks between the east and west Kamoamoa fissure segments. Geologist is about 6 ft tall.

5-7 March 2011

Quicktime movie showing March 5th through 7th draining of the Halema`uma`u lava lake

This Quicktime movie shows a sequence taken from a thermal camera looking into the Halema`uma`u vent cavity between March 5 and 7. Tremor and deflation began at about 1:42pm on March 5, and this was shortly followed by draining of the Halema`uma`u lava lake. Before the draining, the lava lake was about 75 meters below the rim of the vent cavity, and about a day later the lava was about 220 meters deep, having retreated to the bottom of the vent cavity.

9 March 2011

Thermal images showing active fountains and channelized 'a'ā flow

This thermal image was taken from a helicopter above the active fountains at the west end of the fissure system. There were two adjacent fountaining areas, with one situated within a spatter cone and the other bursting through a perched lava pond. The fountains were feeding a channelized flow that can be seen in the upper right portion of the image.

This thermal image shows the channelized 'a'ā flow that was being fed by the fountains at the west end of the fissure system today. Near the end of the flow, the channel empties into the delta-like flow front.

The western vent complex of Kamoamoa continues to erupt

Left. The eastern vent complex of the Kamoamoa eruption was inactive today, but it continues to emit a thick gas plume.Right. The western vent complex continues to erupt, and had been doing so for about 30 hours as of the time of this photo. Lava erupting from the vent complex is flowing into a channel with levees.

The channelized flow from the western vent complex advanced significantly downslope through forest within the Hawai`I Volcanoes National Park.

Left. By early this morning, the front of the 'a'ā flow fed from the western vent had intercepted the edge of the Mother's Day flow, which was emplaced in 2002-2004. The flow advanced about 2.9 km (1.8 miles) in 30 hours.Right. The front of the advancing 'a'ā flow is about 4 m (13 ft) thick.

8 March 2011

Lava fountains from the northeastern vent of the Kamoamoa eruption

Lava fountains from the northeastern vent of the Kamoamoa eruption. Though it is an impressive sight, the Pu`u `Ō `ō cone in the background, and several hundred meters higher, puts the current activity into perspective.

Left. View looking down onto the northeastern vent.Right. Lava, erupting from the southwestern vent of the Kamoamoa eruption, fountains above the surrounding forest.

Left. Overview of the Kamoamoa eruption looking northeast toward Pu`u `Ō `ō, in the background. The southwestern vent is in the foreground, while the northeastern vent is the distant fume at the base of Pu`u `Ō `ō.Right. Overview of the Kamoamoa eruption looking south. The northeastern vent is to the left, and the southwestern vent is to the upper right. A river of lava, erupting from the southwestern vent, can be seen advancing toward the southeast through forest within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

A piece of spatter ejected on March 7, 2011

A piece of spatter ejected on March 7, 2011. Handheld GPS for scale

Thermal view into the Halema`uma`u vent that been largely obscured by fume

Views into the Halema`uma`u vent have been largely obscured by fume over the past several days, and the only consistent views have been with a thermal camera, which can "see" through the fume. This thermal image was taken at a nearly vertical angle from a helicopter, in order to see the bottom of the extremely deep and narrow vent cavity. Prior to the drop in lava level, the lava lake was near its high lava mark, shown by the hot ring on the upper vent cavity walls. The lava level dropped considerably over the past several days, retreating to a narrow opening deep within the vent cavity.

7 March 2011

Video showing low fountaining from the dominant vent, adjacent to Nāpau Crater

Video showing low fountaining from the dominant vent, near the southwest end of the fissure system adjacent to Nāpau Crater, active during the day on March 7.

Video showing the collapse of the Pu`u `Ō `ō crater floor on March 5

Video showing the collapse of the Pu`u `Ō `ō crater floor on March 5. The video starts at 4 am and ends at 11 pm. The floor of the crater dropped about 115 meters (377 ft) in just a few hours.

A broad view of the Kamoamoa fissures between Nāpau Crater and Pu`u `Ō `ō

Left. A broad view of the Kamoamoa fissures. The fissures extend 2.3 km (1.4 mi) between Nāpau Crater and Pu`u `Ō `ō. The western most fissure is just out of view in this photo. Right. On the west end of the fissure system, spatter ramparts are forming as the lava fallout solidifies in a mound upwind from the source.

Left. A view of the spattering source from the ground.Right. Lava was reaching heights above the tree line.

Left. Lava from the erupting fissure produced a large flow that is moving southeast through the adjacent forest. Right. A close-up of the flow front in the forest.

A collapse from the upper portion of the Halema`uma`u vent cavity produced a robust brown plume

With lava retreating deeper into the Halema`uma`u vent cavity over the past two days, the cavity walls have experienced more frequent collapses. At 2:23pm today, a collapse from the upper portion of the vent cavity produced a robust brown plume, but did not eject any large particles.

6 March 2011

Video showing lava pouring from the fissure into a seemingly bottomless crack

Video showing lava pouring from the fissure into a seemingly bottomless crack. Nāpau Crater in the background. Helicopter for scale.

Video showing spattering from the most persistent vent of the day just west of the base of Pu`u `Ō `ō near the northeastern end of the fissure system.

Lava spatters above the fissure just west of the base of Pu`u `Ō `ō

Lava spatters above the fissure just west of the base of Pu`u `Ō `ō.

Left. Early morning view of the fissure eruption between Nāpau Crater and Pu`u `Ō `ō. View is to the northwest. Fume from the eruptive vent in Halema`uma`u can be seen at upper right against the dark mass of Mauna Loa.Right. Most of the day's activity was focused at this vent, around which a low cone was forming. Pu`u `Ō `ō is visible in the background to the northeast.

Lava pours from the fissure just after daybreak and cascades out of sight into a deep crack. HVO geologist near upper right for perspective.

Left. A portion of charred, lava covered forest along the east rift zone, from the initial fissure eruption that began yesterday evening (March 5).Right. A small fissure eruption between Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater and Nāpau, extending 100 m long (330 ft) and spattering 20 m (66 ft) high.

Left. This fissure is erupting 1.5 km (0.9 mi) west of Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater. You can view this eruption on the new Pu`u `Ō `ō to Nāpau Crater webcam installed today!Right. A close-up of the fissure just west of Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater. Spatter was reaching heights of 40 m (130 ft).

Left. Photo taken at dawn of a fissure erupting between Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater and Nāpau.Right. This fissure began in the early hours of March 6, erupting spatter and producing lava flows.

Left. Spatter reaching up to 30 m (100 ft) from a fissure that opened this morning.Right. Increased activity on one of the new fissures between Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater and Nāpau.

5 March 2011

Ash cloud rising from Pu`u `Ō `ō as crater floor collapses

Ash cloud rising from Pu`u `Ō `ō as crater floor collapses due to magma withdrawal. Incandescent rubble can be seen crumbling and rolling down the scarp. The east rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō is in the foreground.

Incandescent rubble rolling and sliding down the scarp on the edge of the collapsing crater in Pu`u `Ō `ō. A remnant of the pre-collapse crater floor can be seen in the background below the crater's south wall. The east rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō is in the foreground.

Video clips of the fissure eruption between Pu`u `Ō `ō and Nāpau Crater

Video clip shot from the air looking SW at the fissure eruption between Pu`u `Ō `ō and Nāpau Crater. The fissure segment in the tephra in the foreground opened seconds earlier, and only about 10 minutes after the eruption as a whole started. The cracks through the tephra are in the process of opening, though this can't be picked out at this distance.

Video clip shot in front of the propagating fissure, showing low spattering that started moments earlier. Thick white steam from the crack in the foreground indicates that lava is about to reach the surface, and is seen doing so seconds later.

Video of spattering near the front of the propagating fissure.

New fissure eruption SW of Pu`u `Ō `ō between Pu`u `Ō `ō and Nāpau crater.

Left. New fissure eruption SW of Pu`u `Ō `ō between Pu`u `Ō `ō and Nāpau crater. Spatter is reaching 15-20 m into the air, above the trees. Pu`u `Ō `ō in the background.Right. New fissure eruption SW of Pu`u `Ō `ō between Pu`u `Ō `ō and Nāpau crater. Spatter is reaching 15-20 m into the air, above the trees.

Left. View to the SW at the new fissure eruption between Pu`u `Ō `ō and Nāpau. Cracks in the foreground could be seen opening as photo was being taken..Right. Close-up of recently opened fissure segment. Spatter reaching about 5 m into the air.

View looking at the NE end of the actively propagating fissure. Lava is just breaking the surface in foreground crack.

Left. Close-up of just-opened fissure segment at NE tip of propagating fissure. Spatter reaching 5 m into the air.Right. Close-up of just-opened fissure segment at NE tip of propagating fissure. Spatter reaching 5 m into the air. Lava just breaking the ground surface to the left.

Close-up of spattering fissure. Lava reaching 10 m into the air.

Left. View looking along recently opened fissure segment crossing tephra flats SW of Pu`u `Ō `ō, which is in the background. Right. View along fissure looking NE toward Pu`u `Ō `ō shrouded in clouds in the background. Fissure segment in forest has shut down.

View toward the SW of fissure eruption. Fissure segment in forest has shut down. Compare to earlier photos before fissure opened up in tephra.

4 March 2011

Awesome movies showing wall and rim collapses of Halema`uma`u

There was a series of vent wall and rim collapses on March 3, much like those than occurred in January and February. This video, compiled from the Webcam on the rim of Halema`uma`u above the vent, is one of the larger collapses, and shows the northwest rim of the vent falling into the lava lake.

This video, also compiled from the Webcam on the rim of Halema`uma`u, shows the north rim of the vent collapsing.

This clip, captured by a video camera on the rim of Halema`uma`u to the southwest of the vent, shows a small slice of the western rim of the vent collapsing into the lava lake and includes sound.

Turn on your speakers!—Hear the Boom from the vent in Halema`uma`u!

Booming sounds from the vent in Halema`uma`u have been audible around the summit area of Kilauea for the past several days. Some of these sounds are caused by rocks striking the surface of the lava lake, but most are actually the sound of the vent walls cracking due to heating and expansion of rock. This video, from February 25, illustrates what this sounds like. Occasionally, these sharp reports and booms can be visually correlated to rocks exploding off the vent wall and showering fragments down onto the surface of the lava lake.

The level of the lava lake sometimes changes abruptly. These cycles of rise and fall, which amount to a vertical change of around 15 m (about 50 ft), are occasionally triggered by rockfalls. Here, a small collapse from the vent wall triggers degassing and a drop in the lava level.

As the spattering shown in the previous video intensifies, the walls of the vent heat even more, causing the cracking of the rocks through thermal expansion to speed up, creating the cacophony of popping noises apparent in this video.

3 March 2011

A channelized flow erupted from the vent on the floor of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater

A channelized flow was being erupted today from the vent on the west side of the floor of Pu`u `Ō `ō.

Views from the active lava surface in Halema`uma`u crater

Left. Following several collapses and small explosive events that deposited spatter on the floor of Halema`uma`u crater around noon today, the lava surface in Halema`uma`u was roiling and agitated for the remainder of the afternoon, with numerous points of upwelling and spattering.Right. A close-up of the active lava surface in Halema`uma`u.

Left. At 2:31pm today, another large chunk of the rim collapsed into the Halema`uma`u lava lake. Right. Just moments after the last photograph, the 2:31pm collapse produced a thick brown plume, but did not appear to trigger an explosive event in this case.

Eruption-viewing opportunities change constantly, so refer to this page often. Those readers planning a visit to Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes can get much useful information from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.