© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Eruption Creates 600-Foot-Deep Lava Lake

By Nicole Werbeck
Published December 31, 2020 at 1:35 PM EST
Gas and steam erupt from the Halemaumau crater of the Kilauea volcano on Dec. 21 in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Andrew Richard Hara
/
Getty Images
Gas and steam erupt from the Halemaumau crater of the Kilauea volcano on Dec. 21 in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

On Hawaii's Big Island, Kilauea volcano erupted Dec. 20 for the first time in more than two years.

Lava spewed from a fissure in the northwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and cascaded into the deepest part of the crater, boiling away a water lake. There's now a growing lava lake, nearly 600 feet deep.

The U.S. Geological Survey has been documenting the eruption. Here, in photos and video, is how Kilauea's newest eruption is continuing — and changing the landscape.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

At 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 an eruption began in the walls of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, vaporizing the lake. This is what the lake looked like at 5:57 p.m. before the eruption.
/ USGS
/
USGS
At 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 an eruption began in the walls of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, vaporizing the lake. This is what the lake looked like at 5:57 p.m. before the eruption.
Sunrise at the new eruption site in Kīlauea caldera on Dec. 21.
/ USGS
/
USGS
Sunrise at the new eruption site in Kīlauea caldera on Dec. 21.

An aerial view of the Kilauea summit shows the eruption from a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight at approximately 11:20 a.m. on Dec. 21. The two active fissure locations continue to feed lava into the growing lava lake.
/ USGS
/
USGS
An aerial view of the Kilauea summit shows the eruption from a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight at approximately 11:20 a.m. on Dec. 21. The two active fissure locations continue to feed lava into the growing lava lake.
As of about 8 a.m. on Dec. 23, crews note that the Kilauea summit lava lake depth is more than triple that of the water lake that existed in the crater until the evening of Dec. 20, when it was vaporized.
H. Dietterich / USGS
/
USGS
As of about 8 a.m. on Dec. 23, crews note that the Kilauea summit lava lake depth is more than triple that of the water lake that existed in the crater until the evening of Dec. 20, when it was vaporized.
Fissures in the wall of Halemaʻumaʻu fed a lava lake that continued to fill the crater. After 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 24, the water lake had been replaced by a lava lake.
/ USGS
/
USGS
Fissures in the wall of Halemaʻumaʻu fed a lava lake that continued to fill the crater. After 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 24, the water lake had been replaced by a lava lake.
Several small channels continue to feed the lava lake within Halema'uma'u crater from the western fissure vents on Dec. 26.
/ USGS
/
USGS
Several small channels continue to feed the lava lake within Halema'uma'u crater from the western fissure vents on Dec. 26.
Dec. 31, 2020: The west vent area in Halema'uma'u wall continues to feed Kīlauea's summit lava lake.
M. Patrick / USGS
/
USGS
Dec. 31, 2020: The west vent area in Halema'uma'u wall continues to feed Kīlauea's summit lava lake.
Dec. 31, 2020: Kīlauea's summit eruption in Halema'uma'u continued overnight.
M. Patrick / USGS
/
USGS
Dec. 31, 2020: Kīlauea's summit eruption in Halema'uma'u continued overnight.
Nicole Werbeck
See stories by Nicole Werbeck

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Donate