Kilauea's Summit Lava Lake is Overflowing

The surface of the Halema'uma'u lava lake on the morning of April 29, 2015. At least two small lava flows can be seen from the overflowing lava lake. USGS/HVO webcam Kilauea in Hawai'i has been erupting constantly for over 30 years. This doesn't mean that it has been doing the same thing for that long, although many volcanic features have been persistent, like the lava lakes at the Halema'uma'u and Pu'u O'o craters, along with the lava flows that cover the pali. Kilauea has also seen ups and downs in the eruptive activity, from long periods where only a few flows are active to entirely new fissure eruptions on its flanks. This change in eruptive character can be most readily seen in the levels of the lava lakes in the two craters. Some times, the lakes are deep within their crater so that only the steam and gas plumes and an eerie glow can be seen. Other times the lava lakes can fill so high that they spill out of their craters and generated a lava flow field around the lava lake.