USGS Helicopter Overflight Captures Ongoing Kilauea Summit Activity

On July 16, 2026, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory carried out a helicopter overflight of Kīlauea's Halema‘uma‘u crater following the summit eruption episode 51 the previous day. The flight documented extensive recent lava flows that resurfaced most of the western crater floor, including remnants of the former Crater Rim Drive that collapsed in 2018. Tephra fallout draped parts of the crater, and persistent incandescence was observed in the north vent after eight hours of lava fountaining.

During the mission, the team measured the gas plume emanating from the vents, using upward‑looking spectroscopy to assess the summit’s sulfur dioxide emission rate, and captured images of the Southwest Rift Zone’s historic 1971 spatter cone. The observations provide critical data on the eruption’s progression and associated gas emissions.