Mauna Loa — Mdlcam

A USGS monitoring view (MDL) along Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone, the rift that runs from the summit toward the Kaʻū Desert and the island's south coast. The stark, dry terrain here contrasts with the lush windward side of the volcano — this is rain-shadow country, swept by volcanic gases. The camera helps the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory keep watch for any renewal of activity along a rift that has produced fissure eruptions in the past. Conditions are typically clear but vog-prone. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park; Hawaii keeps a single year-round time zone.