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Uēkahuna Overlook View Of Kīlauea Eruption

September 27, 2023

A scenic view from the Uēkahuna overlook under a partly cloudy blue sky of the new eruption at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano with the farthest east fissure near the margin of the caldera downdropped block that formed during the 2018 summit collapse. The base of the main fissure (farthest west) is approximately 230 feet wide. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Geological Survey photo.)
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September 10, 2023 - A scenic view from the Uēkahuna overlook under a partly cloudy blue sky of the new eruption at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano with the farthest east fissure near the margin of the caldera downdropped block that formed during the 2018 summit collapse. The base of the main fissure (farthest west - right on image) is approximately 230 feet (70 meters) wide.

The 4,009 foot summit of Kīlauea lies on a curving line of volcanoes that includes Mauna Kea and Kohala and excludes Mauna Loa. In other words, Kīlauea is to Mauna Kea as Kama'ehuakanaloa is to Mauna Loa. Hawaiians used the word Kīlauea only for the summit caldera, but earth scientists and, over time, popular usage have extended the name to include the entire volcano.

Kīlauea is the home of Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess. Hawaiian chants and oral traditions tell in veiled form of many eruptions fomented by an angry Pele before the first European, the missionary Rev. William Ellis, saw the summit in 1823. The caldera was the site of nearly continuous activity during the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Kīlauea ranks among the world's most active volcanoes and may even top the list.

Since 1952, Kīlauea has erupted dozens of times. From 1983 to 2018 eruptive activity was nearly continuous along the volcano's East Rift Zone. At the summit, a vent within Halema‘uma‘u hosted an active lava pond and vigorous gas plume from 2008 to 2018. In 2018, the decades-long continuous activity on the East Rift Zone ended, and the summit lava lake drained following an intrusion into, and eruption from, Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone. Several summit eruptions since December 2020 created lava lakes within Halema‘uma‘u crater, which have been slowly filling the collapsed area that formed in 2018.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park protects some of the most unique geological, biological, and cultural landscapes in the world. Extending from sea level to 13,677 feet, the park encompasses the summits of two of the world's most active volcanoes - Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides science for a changing world, which reflects and responds to society’s continuously evolving needs. As the science arm of the Department of the Interior, the USGS brings an array of earth, water, biological, and mapping data and expertise to bear in support of decision-making on environmental, resource, and public safety issues.

Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Geological Survey photo.

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