Kilauea Eruption Update: Lava Lake Now 440 Ft Deep, Over 1900 Ft Wide

The new lava lake at the bottom of Halema'uma'u continues to grow and is already more than double the depth of the water lake that was previously in the crater. Lava fountaining continues in two locations. Here is the latest from USGS Volcanoes: "As of about 4:45 a.m. HST on Dec. 22, HVO field crew noted that the lava lake rose 3 meters in 3.5 hours. The lake surface is now 487 m (1598 ft) below the crater rim observation site, indicating that the lake has filled 134 m (440 ft) of the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u crater. This is more than double the depth of the water lake that was in the crater until the evening of Dec. 20 when it was vaporized. Fountaining continues at two locations, more vigorously at eastern vent, and both vents continue to feed the growing lava lake."