Three USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists flew by helicopter to Kīlauea’s summit on July 2 to collect tephra from the northwest wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater.
The deposits became exposed during the 2018 summit collapse, but lava from Kīlauea’s ongoing episodic summit eruption is expected to cover them again soon.
Eruptions since 2020 have refilled Halema‘uma‘u enough to make the site easier to reach; deposits that were halfway up the cliff a few years ago are now accessible from the crater floor area.
The sampling took place with the current vent complex still active in the distance, underscoring how quickly the eruption is reshaping and potentially obscuring the crater’s exposed geologic record.