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Eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawai`i

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-18 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images, from 1021-2001 UTC on 03 June [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

5-minute PACUS Sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images (above) showed the thermal anomaly (heat signature) following the onset of an eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawai`i — which began around 1030 UTC on 03 June 2024. The peak 3.9 µm brightness temperature sensed at the eruption site was 134.2ºC at 1221 UTC, which was just a few degrees below the 137.88ºC saturation temperature of GOES-18 ABI Band 7 detectors.

GOES-18 Nighttime Microphysics RGB + daytime True Color RGB images from the CSPP GeoSphere site (below) displayed a narrow volcanic plume as it moved southwest; prior to sunrise, the Kilauea eruption thermal anomaly appeared as purple to blue pixels in the Nighttime Microphysics RGB images. Such volcanic plumes from similar Kilauea eruptions often contain varying amounts of SO2.

GOES-18 Nighttime Microphysics RGB + daytime True Color RGB images [click to play MP4 animation]

GOES-18 SO2 RGB images (below) did display a SO2 signature (lighter shades of cyan), which more obvious immediately downwind of Kilauea but could also be seen streaming off the southwest coast of the Big Island.

GOES-18 SO2 RGB images, from 1601-2001 UTC on 03 June [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

Categories: GOES-18, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images, Volcanic activity