Kilauea Volcanic Flow

This animation, which depicts the growth of the Kamoamoa Flow Field, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, was generated from a sequence of ten multispectral images acquired between September 3 and 17, 1995. During this time period lava flows breaking out above the Paluma Pali (or cliff), at an elevation of 480 meters, completed the 5 kilometer journey to the Pacific Ocean.

To visualize the progress of the lava flows, infrared images of the flows were superimposed over a common true-color background image. The colors of the lava flows are a function of temperature: the hottest temperatures are displayed in bright yellow, intermediate temperatures grade from bright red to orange, and the coolest temperatures are displayed in dark orange and brown. Image-morphing techniques were used to approximate the shape and position of the flows at 30-min intervals over the 14-day period. Finally, the morphed images were superimposed over a digital elevation model (DEM) and rendered as 3-D perspective views of the flow field.