In 2018, a new eruption of Kīlauea volcano changed the island of Hawai‘i forever. From May through August, large lava flows covered land southeast of the park destroying over 700 homes and devastating residential areas in the Puna District. At the same time, the summit area of the park was dramatically changed by tens of thousands of earthquakes, towering ash plumes, and a massive collapse of Kīlauea caldera.
Also known as taro, the kalo plant is central to Native Hawaiian culture. Having sustained the Hawaiian people for centuries, it sits at the intersection of the Hawaiian diet and social and cultural life.
As a highly nutritious "super food", the tuber is the main ingredient in poi, a Hawaiian staple.
Video of the lava lake activity in Halema‘uma‘u Crater on April 15, 2018. This is a zoomed video from the observation deck at Jaggar Museum, which is about a mile from the eruption site. Video by Volunteer Ranger Janice Wei
A short video of three surface flows on New Years Eve 2018. These flows are about a 45 minute hike inland from the former Kamokuna ocean entry and are inside the park boundary. NPS Video by Janice Wei
We could not do what we do without the help of our NPS Volunteers in Parks (VIPs)! One of our volunteers, French geologist Marius Arigot, has created this wonderful 5-minute video compilation of lava flows he witnessed in the park between September 2017 and January 2018. Enjoy! The footage is of Kīlauea Volcano’s east rift zone eruption on the coastal plain and cliffs.
This 24-minute U.S. Geological Survey video tells the story of Kīlauea Volcano’s summit eruption, from its start in 2008 through today. It begins with a Hawaiian chant expressing traditional observations of an active lava lake, then briefly recounts the eruptive history of Halemaʻumaʻu, site of the eruption. It goes on to describe the formation and continued growth of the current summit vent and lava lake, with USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists sharing insights on how they monitor the lava lake, how and why the lake level rises and falls, why explosive events occur, and the connection between Kīlauea’s ongoing summit and East Rift Zone eruptions. The video documentary is published as USGS General Interest Product 182.
Ranger Shyla explains how visitors can stay "Lava Safe" on the world's most active volcano, Kīlauea, by following these two simple rules: 1) Be Prepared. 2) Stay out of Closed Areas. It's Simple! Additional footage and photos courtesy of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
The section of sea cliff above the ocean entry collapsed February 2, 2017 at about 12:55 p.m. The sea cliff had become increasingly unstable as a large crack 5–10 m (16–33 ft) inland of the ocean entry had more than doubled in width, from 30 cm (1 ft) to 70 cm (2.5 ft), over the past several days. A video camera, which had just been set up to monitor movement of the crack near the sea cliff, captured the moment of collapse.
Video of the lava lake splashing and sloshing inside Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kīlauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the evening of Sept. 7, 2016. This video was filmed by Sami Steinkamp, an intern with the Student Conservation Association's Centennial Volunteer Ambassador program. Sami was at the Jaggar Museum observation deck, about a mile from the eruption site, the closest visitors can get.
An in-depth look at the Pulu Station in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park's remote Kīlauea East Rift Zone.
Historic photo credits:
Whaling ships Photo title: "Les fregates l'Astrolabe et la Boussole a Hawai en 1786" Source: Gallica.fr
Photo title: "Judge Lord Kaina" Source: 1974 Olson, Gunder, "The Story of the Volcano House." Petroglyph Press.
Photo title: "Hawaiian family in front of thatched grass house" Source: Hawaii State Archives, Call number PPWD-6-3.010
Photo title: "Native Hawaiian grass huts in the woods" Source: 1901 Report of the Governor of the Territory of Hawai'i
Photo title: "Keauhou landing sketch" Source: de Varigny, Charles, 1981 "Fourteen Years in the Sandwich Islands, 1855-1868." The University Press of Hawai'i and the Hawaiian Historical Society, Honolulu.
Haku ‘ia e Kepā Maly - Composed by Kepā Eia mākou i mua kou alo, - Here we are before you, Nā hoa ‘āina, ‘imi i ka pono. - Friends of the land, seeking good. E a‘o mai mākou i ka hana, - Teach us what is to be done, E ola i ka ‘āina ‘o Kīlauea. - That the land of Kīlauea will have life. from BioBlitz 2015
Video of the lava lake splashing and sloshing inside Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kīlauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the evening of Sept. 7, 2016. This video was filmed by Sami Steinkamp, an intern with the Student Conservation Association's Centennial Volunteer Ambassador program. Sami was at the Jaggar Museum observation deck, about a mile from the eruption site, the closest visitors can get.
Enjoy this six minute video of the Nāpau fissure eruption that started on March 5 2011. This footage was taken on March 6 2011 between 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm. Volcanologists have begun calling the vent Kamoamoa, after the ahupua'a (land division) in which it is located.
In 2010, ancient ‘ōhi‘a trees towered above a nearly empty forest floor in the high-elevation forests of Kahuku in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Cattle, pigs and sheep had removed nearly all the ferns and small trees. A few endangered ‘ōhā wai (Clermontia lindseyana) were clinging to survival above the ground on large trees. The park’s Natural Resources Management staff built a fence to keep out pigs and sheep to protect these remaining plants, as well as encourage other native species to establish. Together with Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the park began to establish ‘ōhā wai and other rare species by collecting seeds, propagating plants in the greenhouse and planting in the field. This was an ideal place for restoration with fast growth and plants flowering within three to four years. By using wildlife cameras, we are able to see the rare native honeycreeper ‘i‘iwi (Drepanis coccinea, also known as Vestiaria coccinea) sipping nectar from the flowers. Restoring the habitat for these birds at high-elevation sites is important to improve their chances of survival in the face of climate change.
The National Park Service is building capacity for 36 extremely rare or endangered plants to survive in a changing climate on the slopes of Haleakalā on Maui, and Kīlauea and Mauna Loa on Hawai‘i Island.
