Explore Landsat imagery of a volcano eruption

In 2018, the eruption of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island was a major event and caused significant destruction. In this tutorial, you'll prepare and explore Landsat satellite imagery captured before, during, and after the eruption. Landsat is the longest running satellite program for Earth observation in the world. It has captured millions of images that provide continuous, global coverage over several decades, making Landsat an unparalleled resource for analysts and decision makers. You'll access this data as a ready-to-use online imagery layer available through ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.

First, you'll search for the imagery in ArcGIS Living Atlas and open it in a web map. Then, you'll filter and select specific images within the dataset, based on the time they were captured. You'll render these images using a different spectral band combination to better visualize volcanic activity during the eruption. Finally, you'll open the imagery in ArcGIS Pro to compare the landscape before and after the eruption.

This tutorial was last tested on October 8, 2025, using ArcGIS Pro 3.5. If you're using a different version of ArcGIS Pro, you may encounter different functionality and results.

Requirements

• ArcGIS organizational account with a Publisher, Facilitator, or Administrator role (see options for software access)
• Creator, Professional, or Professional Plus user type.
• ArcGIS Pro (optional)

Create a web map

ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World is a curated collection of geographic content from around the globe. It includes several authoritative and ready-to-use satellite imagery layers. You'll explore this collection of data and identify the Landsat imagery layer you'll use in this tutorial. Then, you'll open the Landsat imagery in ArcGIS Online and save it in a web map.

Find an imagery layer

First, you'll go to ArcGIS Living Atlas, browse the available satellite imagery datasets, and select a Landsat imagery layer to use.

1. Go to ArcGIS Living Atlas.
2. In the search bar, type satellite imagery and click the search button (or press Enter).

   

   The search results display all matching content items. You can refine your search results by using filtering options. You are only interested in multispectral imagery, so you will add that filter.

   Multispectral imagery is made up of different spectral bands, which represent different wavelength ranges on the electromagnetic spectrum. Satellites like Landsat collect light in these spectral bands to produce multispectral images. Examples of spectral bands are red, green, blue, near infrared, and shortwave infrared. Later in the tutorial, you’ll learn how you can use spectral bands to visualize the landscape beyond what the human eye can usually see.

3. Click Imagery and check the box for Multispectral Imagery.

   

   The results update to show only items in the Multispectral Imagery category.

   You're only searching for data layers (as opposed to maps, apps, and other item types), so you'll add a filter for layers.

4. Click All content types and choose Layers.

   

5. Scroll down the list of results and locate the Landsat Level-2 layer.

   

   Note:

   An alternative way to find this layer would be to search for Landsat or "Landsat Level-2". As with most search engines, the more precise you are with your keywords, the shorter your path to discovery.

   The Landsat Level-2 layer contains millions of Landsat images collected all over the world from 1982 to the present. These images are of Level-2 type, which means that they have been preprocessed for accuracy.

   Note:

   Learn more about the Landsat Collection 2 Level-2 Science Products.

6. On the Landsat Level-2 card, point to the thumbnail and click View item details.

   

7. On the item details page, use the item description to answer the following questions about the Landsat imagery in this layer:
   • Does the imagery cover the location of interest (Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii)?
   • Does the imagery cover the time period of interest (2018)?
   • Is the imagery multispectral? Does it provide a variety of spectral bands for visual rendering and analysis?

   Tip:

   The answers to these questions can be found in the Key Properties section.

   The spectral bands provided in the layer are listed in table form.

   

   Based on the item description, the Landsat Level-2 layer is a suitable candidate to explore the 2018 eruption event.

Create a web map

Next, you'll add the Landsat Level-2 layer to a web map in ArcGIS Online.

1. On the Landsat Level-2 item details page, click Open in Map Viewer.

   

2. Sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have an organizational account, see options for software access.

   The Landsat Level-2 layer appears in Map Viewer.

   

   You'll save the map.

3. On the Contents (dark) toolbar, click Save and open and choose Save as.

   

4. In the Save map window, enter the following information:
   • For Title, type Kilauea Eruption Event 2018.
   • For Tags, type Landsat, Imagery, and Multispectral, pressing Enter after each tag.
   • For Summary, type This is a map of the Kilauea eruption event in 2018 using Landsat Level-2 satellite imagery.
5. Click Save.

You found Landsat imagery in ArcGIS Living Atlas and added it to a web map. Next, you'll prepare your data and explore the imagery through time to find the best Landsat images of the 2018 Kilauea eruption.

Explore imagery in ArcGIS Online

You'll use imagery capabilities in ArcGIS Online to select, prepare, and explore Landsat images of the 2018 Kilauea eruption.

Establish a study area

First, you must establish a study area. You want your map to focus on the Kilauea eruption site, so you'll add a polygon feature layer that roughly outlines this area.

Note:

In this tutorial, you'll search for and add a study area layer that was prepared for you and is hosted in ArcGIS Online. To learn how to create a layer that defines your own study area, try the Create a layer and add features tutorial. You would create a feature layer of the Polygon type and add a single polygon feature that defines your area of interest.

1. In the Layers pane, click Add.

   

2. In the Add layer pane, click My content and choose ArcGIS Online.

   

3. In the search bar, type Kilauea 2018 lava owner:Esri_Tutorials.
4. In the list of search results, click Kilauea 2018 Lava Flow Extents.

   

   The layer's item details pane appears. You can review information about the layer, including when it was last updated, the layer's owner, and a description of what the layer may include.

5. At the bottom of the item details pane, click Add to map.

   

6. Close the item details pane.

   The map automatically zooms to the new layer, which displays in red above the imagery.

   

   Note:

   The Landsat Level-2 layer is updated daily with new imagery. It automatically displays the most recent imagery available. Your map may show more recent imagery than shown in the example images.

   By default, this layer is displayed in Natural Color, which is a combination of the red, green, and blue spectral bands. This band combination mimics how the human eye perceives color. You can distinguish vegetation in green, solidified lava flows in brown, some built-up areas in gray, water in dark blue, and clouds in bright white. Later, you'll learn how to change the band combination to better highlight specific landscape features.

7. In the Add layer pane, click the Back button.

   

   The Kilauea 2018 Lava Flow Extents layer is listed in the Layers pane. Next, you'll save the map.

8. On the Contents toolbar, click Save and open and choose Save.

Filter images by acquisition date

Next, you'll identify images that were captured before, during, and after the 2018 Kilauea volcanic eruption. The eruption began May 3, 2018, and slowed down in mid-August that same year. You'll select images from the following dates:

• Before the eruption—March 27, 2018
• During the eruption—July 17, 2018
• Close to the end of the eruption—August 2, 2018
• Six months after the eruption—February 26, 2019

Using the Image collection explorer pane, you'll filter and sort the imagery in the layer by acquisition date so you can find and select the exact images you want to display on the map.

Note:

The Image collection explorer pane is only available for imagery layers with the collection type attribute, which is the case for the Landsat Level-2 layer. Learn more about the image collection explorer and image collections.

1. In the Layers pane, click Landsat Level-2 to select it.

   

   Note:

   The selected layer has a blue bar next to it.

2. On the Settings (light) toolbar, click Image collection explorer.

   

   The Image collection explorer pane appears. The pane lists images in the layer that meet certain criteria. By default, images in the Landsat Level-2 layer are filtered based on the best attribute, which is a score given to each scene based on recency and cloud cover. You will update this filter to select images based on their acquisition date, that is, the date at which the satellite took the image.

3. In the Image collection explorer pane, click the Filters button.

   

4. In the Filters window, for Attribute, choose acquisitiondate.

   

   When you choose a new attribute, the Range mode parameter reloads to reflect the units of that attribute. Since you chose acquisitiondate, the units for Range mode are in date and time.

   You will use the Range mode slider to filter the selection of images based on the acquisitiondate attribute.

5. For Range mode, move the handles as close as possible to the following time range: 2018-03-01 to 2019-03-01.

   Note:

   It will likely not be possible to match the exact time range; just try to get as close to the range as possible.

   

   Note:

   Because the exact dates you choose for the range will vary, the number of images you'll see listed later may be different. In general, the narrower the range, the fewer images you'll have to sort through.

6. Click Apply. Close the Filters window.

   A smaller number of images, all acquired within the range you set, are listed in the Image collection explorer pane. To make the information on the image cards more relevant to you, you'll change the display fields.

7. In the Image collection explorer pane, click the List settings button.

   

8. In the List settings window, for Display fields, uncheck the boxes next to name and best.
9. Check the box next to cloudcover.

   

   The cloudcover attribute indicates the percentage of the image that is covered by clouds. For instance, a value of 0.3 means that 30 percent of the image is obstructed by clouds. Most often, you want to choose an image with low cloud cover; although, in the case of an active volcano eruption, the cloud (and smoke) cover will be unavoidably high.

10. Click Done.

    The image cards in the Image collection explorer pane update to show the cloudcover and acquisitiondate fields.

    

    You'll sort the images from oldest to most recent.

11. Click the Sort by button.

    

12. In the Sort window, under Sort by field, select acquistiondate.

    

13. Click Done.

    The images are sorted by acquisition date, making it easier to find dates of interest.

Add images to the map by date

Next, you'll choose the four images to add to the map. You'll start with the pre-eruption image.

1. In the Image collection explorer pane, find the images where acquisitiondate is March 27, 2018.

   

2. For the first image (LC08_L2SP_062046_20180327_20200901_02_1T), click Select.

   A preview of the image appears on the map.

   

   The image you selected has low cloud cover and offers a clear view of your study area. However, its extent ends close to the boundary of the study area. You'll compare this image to the other image taken on March 27, 2018.

3. For the first image, click Selected to deselect it.

   

4. For the second image (LC08_L2SP_062047_20180327_20200901_02_1T), click Select.

   A preview of the image appears.

   

   Like the first image, this image has little cloud cover. Additionally, the image extent completely covers the study area and its surroundings, making it more suitable for exploration. You'll add this image to the map.

5. For the second image, click the Add image to map button.

   

   The image is added as a separate layer to the map and the Layers pane.

6. In the Layers pane, point to the new layer and click the visibility button to turn it off.

   

7. Click the Landsat Level-2 layer to select it.
8. In the Image collection explorer pane, for Selected: 1, click the close button to remove the previous selection.

   

   Next, you'll add images taken on the remaining dates of interest.

9. Repeat steps 1 to 8 to find the following images and add them to the map:
   • July 17, 2018 (LC08_L2SP_062047_20180717_20200831_02_T1)
   • August 2, 2018 (LC08_L2SP_062047_20180802_20200831_02_T1)
   • February 26, 2019 (LC08_L2SP_062047_20190226_20200829_02_T1)

   Next, you'll rename the layers.

10. In the Layers pane, point to the Landsat Level 2 - acquisition date (2019-02-26 12:42:11) layer, click the Options button, and choose Rename.

    

    Since this layer is displayed using Natural Color by default, you'll rename the layer to reflect this information.

11. For Title, delete the existing text and type Landsat Natural Color (02/26/2019) and click OK.
12. Rename the three other imagery layers in the following way:
    • Rename the image taken on August 2, 2018, to Landsat Natural Color (08/02/2018).
    • Rename the image taken on July 17, 2018, to Landsat Natural Color (07/17/2018).
    • Rename the image taken on March 27, 2018, to Landsat Natural Color (03/27/2018).

    

13. Save the map.

Explore Natural Color imagery

Next, you'll explore your study area before, during, and after the volcanic eruption using the imagery with its default Natural Color band combination (red, blue, and green). Since this band combination mimics how the human eye perceives color, it is a good starting point to make initial observations.

1. In the Layers pane, turn off all layers except Landsat Natural Color (3/27/2018).

   

   The map updates to display the image taken on March 27, 2018.

   

   The Natural Color image, captured before the eruption, shows the yet undisturbed landscape. The vegetation is green, and solidified lava flows from previous eruptions are dark brown. Notice there are a few small white clouds north of the study area.

   Note:

   By default, this layer is rendered with dynamic range adjustment (DRA) enabled. When DRA is on, the relative brightness or darkness of each pixel is adjusted based on the range of pixel values in the current display extent. As a result, in images with bright clouds, DRA may cause the rest of the landscape to appear dark.

   If you pan the map southward, so that the clouds are mostly out of the extent, the DRA will immediately adjust the brightness, resulting in a clearer view of the island's features. After you finish observing the layer, on the map, click the Default map view button to return to the original extent.

2. Turn on the visibility for the next layer, Landsat Natural Color (07/17/2018).

   

   On this date, the volcano was actively erupting. The image shows the study area covered by a thick layer of smoke.

3. Turn on the Landsat Natural Color (08/02/2018) layer.

   

   This image, captured a few weeks later, shows the eruption slowing down. Smoke still covers most of the study area, but some patches of land are still visible.

4. Turn on the Landsat Natural Color (02/26/2019) layer.

   

   Six months after the eruption, the smoke is gone. The land and ocean are visible again. The lava flows, now solidified, are brown.

5. Turn off all layers except Landsat Natural Color (3/27/2018) and Landsat Natural Color (2/26/2019).
6. Turn Landsat Natural Color (2/26/2019) on and off to compare the landscape before and after the eruption.

   The landscape changed dramatically after the eruption. For example, notice the coastline expansion due to the addition of the erupted lava.

Change the band combination

While the Natural Color band combination is a good option for initial exploration, the thick smoke present in some images obscures the details of the eruption. Next, you'll apply different band combinations to the imagery to better visualize eruption activity.

First, you'll create copies of the two Natural Color layers that show the active eruption. You'll render the copies using a band combination that combines two shortwave infrared spectral bands, present in Landsat (SWIR 1 and SWIR 2), as well as the red band. In this band combination, smoke is partially transparent. As a result, landscape changes caused by the eruption, which would otherwise be hidden by the smoke, will become visible.

Note:

The Landsat Level-2 (SWIR 1 and SWIR 2) spectral bands are useful in measuring relative moisture variations in both soil and vegetation, distinguishing between different geologic rock formations, and penetrating through smoke and thin clouds.

1. In the Layers pane, for Landsat Natural Color (07/17/2018), click the Options button and choose Duplicate.

   

   A copy of the layer named Landsat Natural Color (7/17/2018) – Copy is added to the Layers pane.

2. For the Landsat Natural Color (7/17/2018) – Copy layer, click the Options button and choose Rename.
3. Rename the layer Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (07/17/2018) and click OK.
4. Duplicate the Landsat Natural Color (08/02/2018) layer and rename the copy to Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (08/02/2018).

   

   Next, you'll change the rendering of these layers using the Processing templates feature.

5. In the Layers pane, turn on and select the Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (07/17/2018) layer.
6. On the Settings toolbar, click Processing templates.

   

   The Processing templates pane appears. The Landsat Level-2 layer has a variety of built-in processing templates that correspond to different spectral band combinations. Each highlights different properties of the Earth's surface. You'll choose the processing template that combines the SWIR 2, SWIR 1, and Red bands.

   Note:

   Processing templates can be used to perform a variety of processing tasks, including visual rendering, unit conversions, and spectral index calculations, like the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). To learn more about processing templates, see Apply processing templates.

7. In the Processing templates pane, choose Urban for Visualization.

   

   Note:

   The SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red band combination is commonly used to visualize urban areas, since it can penetrate through haze caused by pollution. For this reason, this band combination is sometimes called the Urban band combination.

   The new processing template applies to the image.

8. At the bottom of the pane, click Done.
9. In the Layers pane, turn on and select the Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (08/02/2018) layer. In the Processing templates pane, choose Urban for Visualization and click Done.

   You'll compare these layers to the Natural Color layers.

10. Turn off all layers except Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (07/17/2018) and Landsat Natural Color (07/17/2018).
11. Turn the Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (07/17/2018) layer off and on to compare the two layers.

    

    With the SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red band combination, the eruption activity becomes apparent, showing the active lava flow in bright yellow.

12. Turn off the Landsat Natural Color (07/17/2018) layer and turn on the Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (08/02/2018) layer. Turn Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (08/02/2018) off and on to compare it to Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (7/17/2018).

    

    In August, the lava flow is still active but less intense. The eruption activity is slowing down. The shortwave infrared bands are powerful for seeing through smoke and clouds.

13. Save the map.

You've filtered images by acquisition date and added images taken before, during, and after the 2018 eruption of the Kilauea volcano. Then, you rendered the layers using the SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red band combination to see through the smoke and better understand the lava flow of the eruption.

Explore imagery in ArcGIS Pro

In this optional part of the tutorial, if you have access to ArcGIS Pro, you'll learn how to open the images you have selected in it. ArcGIS Pro is a desktop GIS application with extended visualization and analysis capabilities.

Open your web map in ArcGIS Pro

You'll open the web map you created in ArcGIS Pro.

1. Start ArcGIS Pro. If prompted, sign in using your licensed ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have access to ArcGIS Pro or an ArcGIS organizational account, see options for software access.

2. Under New Project, click Start without a template.

   

3. On the ribbon, click the View tab. In the Windows group, click Catalog Pane.

   

4. In the Catalog pane, click the Portal tab.

   

5. In the search bar, type kilauea and press Enter.
6. Right-click your Kilauea Eruption Event 2018 web map and choose Add And Open.

   

   The map is added to ArcGIS Pro.

   Note:

   The process of adding the map may take a few minutes. When you open a web map in ArcGIS Pro, the content and settings from the web map are imported into your ArcGIS Pro map. There is not a dynamic link between the map created in ArcGIS Pro and the original web map, so changes made to the ArcGIS Pro map are not reflected in the web map. However, changes in the underlying data layers will be reflected in both maps.

   The Contents pane lists each of the layers in your web map.

7. In the Contents pane, for each layer, click the arrow next to the layer name to collapse it.

   

   Tip:

   Press the Ctrl key and collapse one layer to collapse them all.

   At the top of the map view is a time animation bar.

   

8. Point to the time animation bar and click the collapse button to minimize it.

   

9. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Save Project button.

   

10. In the Save Project As window, for Name, type Kilauea 2018. Click Save.

    Note:

    This workflow demonstrated adding imagery to ArcGIS Pro from a web map. You can also access ArcGIS Online layers, such as Landsat Level-2, directly in ArcGIS Pro. To do so, in the Catalog pane, click the Portal tab and click the Living Atlas button. Search for the layer you want to add, right-click it, and choose Add To Current Map.

Swipe between images

Next, you'll use the Swipe tool to compare the two imagery layers.

1. In the Contents pane, turn off all the layers except Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (07/17/2018) and Landsat Natural Color (07/17/2018). Click Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (7/17/2018) to select it.

   

2. On the ribbon, click the Image Service Layer tab. In the Compare group, click Swipe.

   

3. Click and drag the map from top to bottom to reveal the Landsat Natural Color (07/17/2018) layer below the Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (07/17/2018) layer.

   

   Tip:

   You can also swipe from left to right. In Swipe mode, if you hold the Shift key, you can switch between the two layers when you click the map.

4. Turn on the Landsat Natural Color (08/02/2018) and Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (08/02/2018) layers and select the Landsat SWIR 2 SWIR 1 Red (08/02/2018) layer. Use the Swipe tool to compare them.

   

   Note:

   Swipe requires at least two layers to be turned on and the topmost layer to be selected.

5. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Navigate group, click the Explore button to exit the Swipe tool.

   

6. Press Ctrl+S to save your project.

   The Landsat Level-2 layer is optimized for analysis. Whether in ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Pro, you could continue working with these images by using any of the various imagery analysis tools available in ArcGIS. For an example of an analysis workflow that uses the Landsat Level-2 layer, see the Learn to map urban heat islands with Landsat imagery article or the Monitoring algae bloom concentration in turbid water bodies article.

In this tutorial, you used the temporal and spectral characteristics of the Landsat Level-2 layer to visualize landscape changes caused by the Kilauea volcanic eruption. You discovered imagery in ArcGIS Living Atlas, searched for and selected images based on acquisition date, and rendered the imagery using different band combinations. Optionally, you also opened your web map in ArcGIS Pro to explore more visualization techniques.

You'll find more tutorials like this in the Use imagery in ArcGIS Online series.

Acknowledgements

• The Landsat Level-2 layer is available through ArcGIS Living Atlas and sourced from the Microsoft Planetary Computer. Landsat is a program run jointly by NASA and USGS.
• Topographic map sources: Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community