Mauna Loa — M2cam

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory view (M2) of the mid Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea, part of the dense camera array that keeps the volcano under round-the-clock watch. This rift heads from the summit toward the island's southwest coast through the Kaʻū Desert, and the camera shows its expanse of old lava and bare ground. Should magma intrude this direction, early signs — cracking, steaming, incandescence — would show up along here. Weather is usually clear with drifting vog. Within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park; Hawaii keeps one time zone all year.