Changes at Summit, Only One Small Entry of Lava Visible at Ocean

Changes at the summit of Kīlauea between Saturday, April 14 and Monday, Aug. 20, 2018, were captured by a USGS–Hawaiian Volcano Observatory camera.

This time-lapse series includes roughly one image per day. The lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u is visible in April, with overflows onto the caldera floor on April 23. The lava lake drains in early May, followed by explosive activity over the next few weeks. Large-scale subsidence of Halema‘uma‘u and the adjacent caldera floor begins at the end of May and ends abruptly on Aug. 2. Summit seismicity and ground deformation are negligible through Aug. 20, 2018. The crater within the caldera is now seven times larger than it was before the onset of subsidence.

No incandescent lava was visible in the Fissure 8 cone during HVO’s morning overflight on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018.

Fissure 8 on Aug. 27, 2018. Click to enlarge. PC: USGS

Steam persists on the cone and flow field due to heavy rainfall over the past several days from water seeping into still-hot rock.

Only one small ocean entry near Ahalanui was visible during the overflight on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018.

Ocean entry on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. Click to enlarge. PC: USGS