Photo and Video Chronology — December 31, 2024 — Kīlauea summit eruption continues
Here, a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist takes images and measurements of lava fountain heights during the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on December 31, 2024; the eruption began on December 23 and has continued in episodic pulses. Geologists conduct shifts throughout the week to monitor the eruption and note any changes. On December 31, fountain heights reached approximately 80 feet (25 meters) and lava flows continued to cover the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Observatory staff wear personal protective equipment such gas masks to protect themselves from volcanic gas emissions that can quickly change with the winds and eruptive activity. USGS photo
Photo and Video Chronology — December 28 & 29, 2024 — Kīlauea summit eruption continues
Maintenance of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's instrumental monitoring network is an ever-ongoing process, but it is especially important during eruptions. Here, two scientists perform repairs on a gas monitoring station located just west of Kaluapele—Kīlauea's summit caldera—on Saturday, December 28, 2024. An upward-looking spectrometer measures the amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2) passing over the station, and when combined with data from other similar instruments located downwind of the ongoing eruption within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an approximate SO2 emission rate can be calculated. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.
Photo and Video Chronology — December 30, 2024 — Kīlauea summit eruption continues
Maintenance of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's instrumental monitoring network is an ever-ongoing process, but it is especially important during eruptions. Here, two scientists perform repairs on a gas monitoring station located just west of Kaluapele—Kīlauea's summit caldera—on Saturday, December 28, 2024. An upward-looking spectrometer measures the amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2) passing over the station, and when combined with data from other similar instruments located downwind of the ongoing eruption within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an approximate SO2 emission rate can be calculated. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.
Photo and Video Chronology — December 27, 2024 — Kīlauea summit eruption continues
Lava fountains reached heights of up to 80 meters (262 feet) high during the December 23-25, 2024, Kīlauea summit eruption and tephra was deposited to the south across the old Crater Rim Drive (a closed part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park). In this photo, taken around 10 a.m. HST on December 27, 2024, during a USGS Hawiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight, the medium-brown colored material draping the landscape to the south of the crater rim is the tephra from this eruption. It completely covered portions of Crater Rim Drive and is being more reworked by the wind with each passing
Photo and Video Chronology — December 25, 2024 — Kīlauea summit eruption pauses
Lava began draining back into the vent at 11:00 a.m. on December 25, at nearly the same time that summit tiltmeters began recording a change from deflation to inflation. Seismic tremor also decreased markedly at the same time. The pattern was similar but more abrupt than the onset of the pause on Monday, December 23, that occurred between 3 and 4 p.m. Episode 2 lasted a little over 24 hours, which is about twice the duration of the first eruptive episode. Prior summit eruptions have lasted days to weeks and there is a high probability that this eruption will resume
Photo and Video Chronology — December 24, 2024 — Kīlauea summit eruption resumes
The eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began yesterday, December 23, slowed starting around 3 p.m. HST yesterday. The eruption paused through the night and reactivated this morning, December 24, at several of the vents along the southwest of Halema‘uma‘u crater floor. Christmas Eve Kīlauea Eruption Observations The eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began yesterday, December 23, slowed starting around 3 p.m. HST yesterday. The eruption paused through the night and reactivated this morning at several of the vents along the southwest of Halema‘uma‘u crater floor. Eruptive activity remains confined to Halemaʻumaʻu and the downdropped block within the caldera and may fluctuate in
Kīlauea VAN/VONA — WATCH/ORANGE Summit eruption stabilized
HVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice Volcano: Kilauea (VNUM #332010) Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCHPrevious Volcano Alert Level: WARNING Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGEPrevious Aviation Color Code: RED Issued: Monday, December 23, 2024, 6:43 AM HST Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Notice Number: 2024/H438 Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min Elevation: 4091 ft (1247 m) Area: Hawaii Volcanic Activity Summary: Kīlauea volcano is erupting within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in the summit caldera. As of 6:30 a.m. HST, the eruption has stabilized within the crater and there are no immediate threats to infrastructure. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is lowering
Photo and Video Chronology — December 23, 2024 — New Kīlauea summit eruption
This video, taken from the west rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera), in the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, shows the new eruption that started this morning at 2:20 a.m. HST. At approximately 4:30 a.m. HST, the lava fountains were reaching up to 80 meters (260 feet) and by 5:30 a.m., lava covered an area of approximately 400 acres on the caldera floor. Increased volcanic gas emissions downwind, within the closed area, require USGS field staff to use gas masks. USGS video by D. Downs. Webcams capture eruption onset The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory maintains a network of webcameras
Kīlauea VAN/VONA — new summit eruption
HVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice Volcano: Kilauea (VNUM #332010) Current Volcano Alert Level: WARNINGPrevious Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY Current Aviation Color Code: REDPrevious Aviation Color Code: YELLOW Issued: Monday, December 23, 2024, 2:41 AM HST Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Notice Number: 2024/H437 Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min Elevation: 4091 ft (1247 m) Area: Hawaii Volcanic Activity Summary: Kīlauea volcano is erupting. Elevated earthquake activity beneath the summit began at approximately 2 a.m. HST this morning, December 23. By 2:30 a.m., the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory observed eruptive activity in Kīlauea summit webcam images, indicating that an eruption has
Photo and Video Chronology — November 25, 2024 — Visiting the September 2024 Kīlauea eruption site
With permission from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, team of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists visited the site of the September 2024 Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone eruption. They surveyed, sampled, and documented the new volcanic fissures and features, which formed west of and in Nāpau crater from September 15–20, 2024. This view, taken on Monday, November 25, 2024, around 8 a.m., looks to the east from the west rim of Nāpau Crater. The September 2024 lava flows on the floor of Nāpau Crater are visible in the foreground while Pu‘u‘ō‘ō, active from 1983–2018, is visible in the background. USGS photo