Normally the lava level cannot be seen by tourists as it sits about 100 feet below the rim of of Overlook Crater, which in turn is deep inside the larger crater Halemau'mau crater at the summit of Klauea. Overlook crater was created during an eruption in March of 2008
On April 22, the lava started to rise and is now within ten feet of the craters rim. According to the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the lava briefly came in contact with the crater's edge on the morning of April 28, 2015.