May 29, 2020

Updated aerial map of Kīlauea summit



The May 29 overflight provided updated aerial photographs of Kīlauea summit, covering the The May 29 overflight provided updated aerial photographs of Kīlauea summit, covering the caldera floor and showing the current size of the water lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater. The water lake has a surface area of approximately 25,000 square meters (6.2 acres), which is more than double the area measured in late December, when it was 11,000 square meters (2.7 acres). The water lake is still smaller in area than the former Halema‘uma‘u lava lake , which was approximately 48,000 square meters (11.9 acres) just before it drained in May 2018. The label "downdropped block" shows the large portion of the caldera floor that subsided, along with the Halema‘uma‘u region, during the 2018 eruption. The surrounding area is shown by a 2018 satellite image. ( see large map

Thermal map of Kīlauea summit



The May 29 overflight provided updated The May 29 overflight provided updated thermal images of Kīlauea summit, covering the caldera floor and showing the warm surface of the water lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater. No significant changes were observed in the surface temperature of Kīlauea's summit crater lake. Small hotspots are also present on the walls of Halema‘uma‘u due to fumaroles . This preliminary thermal map has some small areas of distortion, including some spots along the caldera rim. The surrounding area is shown by a 2018 satellite image. ( see large map

May 20, 2020

Comparing Kīlauea's summit before and after the 2018 collapse



This series of maps compares aerial imagery collected prior to Kīlauea's 2018 summit collapse and the "Geologic Map of the Summit Region of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii" (Dutton and others, 2007; Neal and others, 2003)—created before Kīlauea's 2018 summit collapse—with aerial imagery collected after the 2018 summit collapse and a preliminary update to Kīlauea's summit geologic map. The floor of Halema‘uma‘u crater used to consist of This series of maps compares aerial imagery collected prior to Kīlauea's 2018 summit collapse and the "Geologic Map of the Summit Region of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii" (Dutton and others, 2007; Neal and others, 2003)—created before Kīlauea's 2018 summit collapse—with aerial imagery collected after the 2018 summit collapse and a preliminary update to Kīlauea's summit geologic map. The floor of Halema‘uma‘u crater used to consist of lava flows erupted in 1974 and 2018. Most of these deposits are now part of the rubble at the base Halema‘uma‘u crater. In addition, portions of Kīlauea caldera floor, which is a mosaic of different-aged lava flows, were lowered over one hundred meters (yards) and likely shifted laterally as a result of the 2018 Kīlauea summit collapse (informally referred to as "down-dropped blocks"). Whereas Halema‘uma‘u used to host an active lava lake , a growing lake of water now occupies its base. ( see large map

December 18, 2019

Updated aerial map of Kīlauea summit



The December 18 overflight provided updated aerial photographs of Kīlauea summit, covering the The December 18 overflight provided updated aerial photographs of Kīlauea summit, covering the caldera floor and showing the current size of the water pond in Halema‘uma‘u crater. The label "downdropped block" shows the large portion of the caldera floor that subsided, along with the Halema‘uma‘u region, during the 2018 eruption. The surrounding area is shown by a 2018 satellite image. ( see large map

Thermal map of Kīlauea summit



The December 18 overflight provided updated The December 18 overflight provided updated thermal images of Kīlauea summit, covering the caldera floor and showing the warm surface of the water pond in Halema‘uma‘u crater. A band of warm temperatures persists along the new cliff formed during the 2018 subsidence. The label "downdropped block" shows the large portion of the caldera floor that subsided, along with the Halema‘uma‘u region, during the 2018 eruption. The surrounding area is shown by a 2018 satellite image. This preliminary thermal map has some small areas of distortion, including some spots along the caldera rim. ( see large map

August 31, 2019

Thermal map of Kīlauea lower East Rift Zone lava flow field



This preliminary This preliminary thermal map shows relative surface temperatures across Kīlauea's 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flow field. In general, the surface temperatures correlate with lava flow thickness—compare this map to the lava flow thickness map posted on February 19, 2019 (https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/maps_uploads/image-545.jpg). Thicker areas of the lava flows have more residual heat in their interiors, which sustains higher temperatures on the surface. In the Kapoho area, where the flow is over 30 meters (100 feet) thick in places, there are scattered, small hotspots with surface temperatures greater than 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). However, most of the lava surface is much cooler than that. This thermal map, constructed from 2700 individual thermal images collected during a helicopter overflight on August 29, 2019, is preliminary, so small alignment issues are present in some areas. The basemap is a satellite image from DigitalGlobe. ( see large map

August 22, 2019

Thermal map of Kīlauea summit



This This thermal map was constructed from 1008 images collected by a thermal camera during a helicopter overflight on August 22, 2019. The hottest features in the caldera are the numerous small fumaroles in Halema‘uma‘u, and these areas have temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit). The pond of water at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u also stands out, and has a surface temperature of approximately 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit). The light grey areas in the upper left and lower right corners of the map are regions not covered by the thermal map, and show a shaded-relief basemap. ( see large map

April 8, 2019

Thermal map of Kīlauea Caldera



This This thermal map, which was constructed by merging about 1300 images from a morning helicopter overflight on April 8, shows the distribution of some prominent thermal features in Kīlauea's summit caldera . The most conspicuous thermal feature is a region of high temperatures in the deepest part of the collapse depression in the area of Halema‘uma‘u. Yellow fumaroles (openings through which hot volcanic gases escape to the surface) explain the high temperatures in this region. Another notable feature is a band of high temperatures along the face of the new collapse scarp that formed during summer 2018. The new scarp and underlying faults may now provide a pathway to the surface for hot volcanic gases rising from depth. No unusual changes were observed in the thermal map, and there is no indication that lava is near the surface at Kīlauea's summit. ( see large map

February 19, 2019

Kīlauea 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flow thicknesses: a PRELIMINARY MAP



Data depicted on this preliminary map of Kīlauea lower East Rift Zone Data depicted on this preliminary map of Kīlauea lower East Rift Zone lava flow thicknesses are subject to change. A final map will be released when all remote sensing data have been collected and processed. Lava flows erupted from fissures 1-24 in 2018, which buried an area of about 35.5 sq km (13.7 sq mi) and added about 875 acres of new land to the island, vary in thickness across the flow field. The greatest thickness on land, at fissure 22, is approximately 55 m (180 ft), and the greatest thickness in the lava delta (new land created where lava entered the ocean) is approximately 280 m (919 ft). These values could change when data are finalized. ( see large map

August 15, 2018

Thermal map of fissure system and lava flows



This This thermal map shows the fissure system and lava flows as of 6 am on Wednesday, August 15. Residual lava in the Fissure 8 flow continues to drain, feeding numerous small ocean entries. In the Fissure 8 cone there was a single, small lava pond. The black and white area is the extent of the thermal map. Temperature in the thermal image is displayed as gray-scale values, with the brightest pixels indicating the hottest areas. The thermal map was constructed by stitching many overlapping oblique thermal images collected by a handheld thermal camera during a helicopter overflight of the flow field. The base is a copyrighted color satellite image (used with permission) provided by Digital Globe. ( see large map

August 14, 2018

Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone lava flows and fissures, August 14, 12:00 p.m. HST



Map as of 12:00 p.m. HST, August 14, 2018. The lull in eruptive activity on Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone continues. Map as of 12:00 p.m. HST, August 14, 2018. The lull in eruptive activity on Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone continues. Lava flows have not expanded since August 9. The fissure 8 cone still hosts a small pond of lava , but no new lava has entered the existing channel in over a week. Lava may intermittently enter the ocean between the Kapoho Bay and Isaac Hale Beach Park areas until residual lava contained within the existing flow is depleted. Given the dynamic nature of Kīlauea's eruption, map details shown here are accurate as of the date/time noted. Shaded purple areas indicate lava flows erupted in 1840, 1955, 1960, and 2014-2015. A NEW MAP WILL NOT BE ISSUED until the current conditions change. ( see large map

August 11, 2018