Multimedia Gallery

HVO scientists observed the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake from the southern crater rim in the late afternoon on Tuesday. In this view, the active western fissure at Kīlauea's summit is visible to the left. The circulating western portion (left) of the lava lake has a more silvery color than the stagnant eastern portion (right). Several of the islands in the lake, including the

Screenshot of USGS National Water Dashboard - Arizona

Seismic stations (white triangles) around Yellowstone Lake as seen on the online Geology of Yellowstone Map. Inset shows a seismogram for station YLA that can be accessed by clicking on the feature and following the “Seismogram” link in the popup box.

Example of some of the new layers available in the Geology of Yellowstone Map as of early 2021. Shown here are the locations of various monitoring instruments and water sample sites overlain on a thermal infrared satellite image. Lighter colors on the infrared image show more radiant (warmer) areas, whereas dark areas are less radiant (cooler).

This map of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea shows 20 m (66 ft) contour lines (dark gray) that mark locations of equal elevation above sea level (asl). The map shows that the lava lake (approximate active area marked in red) has filled 205 m (673 ft) of Halema‘uma‘u since the eruption began at approximately 9:30 p.m. HST on December 20, 2020. USGS map. 

Last 24 Hours - Live image of Halemaʻumaʻu temporary webcam image showing the crater lava lake [S1cam]

Disclaimer: The webcams are operational 24/7 and faithfully record the dark of night if there are no sources of incandescence or other lights. Thermal webcams record heat rather than light and get better views through volcanic gas. At times, clouds and rain obscure

Cycles in Kīlauea's summit eruptive vigor were present on January 22 and 23, with the lava channel at Halema‘uma‘u's western fissure alternating between high and low flow rates over periods of 5-6 minutes. USGS photos by M. Patrick.

Activity at the west vent within Halemaʻumaʻu crater on January 22 included frequent spattering from multiple locations and an open lava channel which drops 20 meters (65 feet) from its source to the lava lake surface. HVO scientists continue to monitor Kīlauea's summit eruption from within an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public for

Active lava reached as far as the central lake in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit, on the east side of the main island, where crustal foundering was occasionally happening. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Active lava was again limited to the western half of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. The western vent remained active with cycles of eruptive vigor in the open channel lasting 5-6 minutes. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Microscopic appearance of normal and melanistic skin in fish from Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Between overcast and rainy weather, HVO field crews took this photo at 3:34 p.m. HST on January 21, 2021, from the south side of Kīlauea's summit caldera. The photo shows Halema‘uma‘u's active west vent, which overflowed its tubed-over lower half at 2:51 p.m. HST that afternoon.  It then proceeded to create a pāhoehoe flow (the lighter gray in the photo with a orange,

The western fissure at Kīlauea's summit continues to send lava into Halemʻaumaʻu crater through an open channel into the lava lake. Around sunset on the evening of January 19, field crews observed a minor collapse event of the spatter rampart on its northern rim and the channel margins at 5:46 p.m. HST. Times are indicated on each photo; the first image shows a "before"

This photo, taken at just after 6 p.m. HST on January 19, shows that the western fissure continues to send lava into Halemʻaumaʻu crater through an open channel into the lava lake. The western side of the lava lake has an incandescent surface, while the eastern portion is more crusted over. However, lava continues to flow beneath this eastern portion, supplying breakouts

A close up of the southwest portion of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, just south of the west fissure. The lava lake at Kīlauea's summit is perched, and is contained by a steep levee 2-3 meters (yards) high. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close up of the vent area at the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit. The two main vents were exhibiting low fountaining while a small vent in the middle had sporadic, weak spattering. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

On the evening of January 17, the vent on the north side of the western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit activated and seemed to become the dominant vent overnight. This vent is the one on the right in this photo. The vent on the left, which was the dominant vent over the past week, seemed less energetic today. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Low fountaining continues at the western fissure, supplying lava to the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The vent has formed a spatter cone around the fountaining, with lava spilling into an open channel that plunges into the lake. HVO scientists continue to monitor the eruption from within an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains 

A closer view of the low fountaining at the western fissure in  Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit. The rim of the cone is built from accumulated deposits of spatter, and large chunks of the cone rim were observed to collapse from time to time. USGS photo by M. Patrick

Sunlight interacts with volcanic gas from Kīlauea's summit lava lake and western fissure in this late afternoon view. The western fissure has built a spatter cone on the steep walls of Halema‘uma‘u, with lava spilling into the active lake, which forms the lower right portion of the photo. The remnants of Crater Rim Drive, which collapsed during the 2018 eruption, can be

Photos from a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) showing reacted rhyolite fragments at the end of the laboratory experiments. (a) Image magnified by 500 times showing the rhyolite after it reacted with water at 250 degrees Celsius (482 F). The reacted rhyolite fragments show very little change compared with the unreacted fragments. (b) Image magnified by 300 times showing

Instructions on How to Attend Virtual USGS Public Lecture 

Mac:

1. Click on the Live Event link
within your email invitation to
launch Microsoft Teams.

2. Select "Cancel" if you see this
notification.

3. Click on "Watch on the
web instead” to view the

Steam vents along the Yellowstone River near Mud Volcano thermal area, Yellowstone National Park.

Mudpot located in the Mud Volcano thermal area of Yellowstone National Park.  This type of thermal feature indicates an acid-sulfate system.

Drilling through ice on the Green River.

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rates measured using an upward-looking ultraviolet spectrometer. These data are collected by traversing the gas plume in a vehicle or helicopter, downwind of Halema‘uma‘u, generally within and/or southwest of Kīlauea caldera. Results from multiple traverses during a collection period are averaged to yield the

Looking southwest from the Steens Mountain summit area into the Alvord desert of eastern Oregon.  This fault-block escarpment reveals the oldest lava flows of the Columbia River Flood Basalts, which erupted about 17 million years ago.  Three or four vertical dikes that feed these flows are evident in the midground ridge where they stand as rock walls cutting across the

The arrival of nightfall at Halema‘uma‘u on January 9, 2021, provided a clearer view of ongoing eruptive activity for USGS scientists monitoring the eruption this Saturday evening. This photo is focused on areas of active crustal motion in the western half of the lava lake; the eastern half (off to the right) is mostly stagnated and displays significantly less

Around sunset on Saturday (January 9, 2021), a break in the rain allowed HVO scientists to visit and monitor the ongoing eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. The west vent is still actively effusing lava, but outflow into the lava lake is increasingly sluggish, as evidenced by slow-moving crustal plates near the once-vigorous vent outlet. Also, much of the crust in the eastern half

This animated GIF was created from a clip within the original video showing crustal overturning at Kīlauea Volcano in Hawaii. The original video was at 20x the speed of the event, and this animation 4x faster. 

This animated GIF was created from a clip within the original video showing crustal overturning at Kīlauea Volcano in Hawaii. The original video was at 20x the speed of the event, and this animation 4x faster. 

Kīlauea’s summit lava lake, in Halema‘uma‘u, just after sunset on January 8, 2021. This view is to the north, from the south rim of the crater.  HVO scientists continue to monitor the eruption within an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public for safety reasons. USGS image by N. Deligne. 

Irrigated land-use in the Adelaida Area of San Luis Obisbo County, CA for 1984, 1996, 2004, 2014, and 2016. Numbers indicate acres and percent of total acres. Source: California Department of  Conservation Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program, 

Land-use surveys of the Adelaida Area of San Luis Obisbo County, CA for 1996 and 2014. Numbers indicate acres and percent of total developed acres. Source: California Department of Water Resources, 

This thermal image, looking northwest, shows the distribution of activity on the lava lake at Kīlauea's summit. The lake is slightly perched and surrounded along its perimeter by a lower ledge of cooler lava. The western fissure, in the wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater, is visible in the upper left portion of the image, just above the lake. Today, the eastern end of the lake (

Islands have been observed in Kīlauea lava lakes for more than 100 years—some move and some are moored. These two photographs of Halemaʻumaʻu crater from 1917 (top) and 2021 (bottom) show islands floating in lava lakes. The 1917 photographic panorama was taken from the edge of the lava lake, which was only about 30 m (100 ft) below crater rim and Kīlauea caldera floor. At

This photo, taken during an overflight of Kīlauea's summit this morning (January 7, 2021), shows the southeast margin of Halemaʻumaʻu's growing lava lake. The photo shows the boundary between the active portion of the lava lake (left) and the subtle levee around the lake perimeter that allows the lake to be slightly perched. The photo shows that a margin around the lake (

Aerial image of the active west vent area and the largest island in Halemaʻumaʻu's growing lava lake. During the overflight of Kīlauea's summit today (January 7, 2021) at approximately 10:30 a.m. HST, HVO geologists noted that the dome fountain, which had been persistent near the base of the west vent area, had subsided and was no longer present. USGS photo by K. Mulliken

During an overflight of Kīlauea summit today (January 7, 2021) at approximately 10:30 a.m. HST, HVO geologists captured this image of the growing lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu. Sunny weather allowed for clear views of Mauna Loa, to the west. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rates measured using an upward-looking ultraviolet spectrometer. These data are collected by traversing the gas plume in a vehicle or helicopter, downwind of Halema‘uma‘u, generally within and/or southwest of Kīlauea caldera. Results from multiple traverses during a day are averaged to yield the emission rates shown

View to the north-northwest from the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and showing the activity at the western fissure, partly obscured by a rainbow. Today, the western fissure was erupting periodic small spatter bursts from the southwest vent of the fissure that is incandescent in this image and nearly as tall as the previously active cone to the right (northeast). Today,

An HVO geologist takes Kīlauea summit eruption lake-level, spatter-cone, and dome-fountain measurements with a laser rangefinder. The top of the dome fountain in Halemaʻumaʻu was up to 5 meters (16 ft) above the lake surface. The lake elevation suggests a maximum lava lake depth of approximately 193 m (211 yd). HVO scientists monitor the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption

View to the northwest from the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater showing the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. The active western fissure is visible above the lake, producing minor spatter and a gas plume from vents at the top. This vent is also sending lava into the lake from a lava tube opening at the lake surface, and producing a small dome fountain

A helicopter overflight on January 5, 2021, at approximately 8:30 a.m. HST allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of the eruption within Halema'uma'u crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. The dimensions of the lava lake are 760 m (831 yd) E-W axis and 470 m (514 yd) in N-S axis. The most recent estimate of lake area is about 28 hectares (69 acres

Thumbnail image of plain language summary of:

Katzner, T.E., Braham, M.A., Conkling, T.J., Diffendorfer, J.E., Duerr, A.E., Loss, S.R., Nelson, D.M., Vander Zanden, H.B., Yee, J.L., 2020, Assessing population-level consequences of anthropogenic stressors for terrestrial wildlife: Ecosphere, v. 11, no. 3, p. e03046, https

Geologist hikes across folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.

The Kukpowruk River cuts through folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.