Kīlauea Volcano’s summit lava lake (Hawaiʻi)

From USGS Volcanoes:

Kīlauea Volcano’s summit lava lake (Hawaiʻi), overflowed its banks for the first time at about 9:40 p.m., HST, on April 28. The lake level continues to rise and fall, and repeat overflows are beginning to construct levees around the lake, such that the level of the lake is now perched about 2 m (7 ft) above the original floor of Halemaʻumaʻu. This photograph was taken on April 29, 2015 from the Halemaʻumaʻu crater rim.

During similar activity at Halemaʻumaʻu in the 1800s and early 1900s, lava lakes frequently produced overflows. Over time, overflows and intermittent spattering can build a collar of solidified lava that then contains the rising and circulating lava lake. This phenomenon is known as a ‘perched lava lake.’ Given the sustained high, and slowly rising, levels of lava within the vent during the past week, these overflows were expected and they are likely to continue intermittently.

For the lastest information, videos, and photographs, visit the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website:http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/
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