Categorized | Sci-Tech

Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for week of Jan 13

MEDIA RELEASE

Over the past week, lava flows have been active on the pali and coastal plain in two distinct lobes west of Kalapana. The easternmost of the active flow lobes continues to advance slowly to the southeast near the end of Highway 130. The western lobe is entering the ocean about 2 km (1.25 miles) southwest of the end of Highway 130. At Pu‘u ‘O‘o, lava flows continue to erupt from a spatter cone in the north-central part of the crater floor, slowly filling it.

At Kilauea’s summit, the circulating lava lake in the collapse pit deep within the floor of Halema‘uma‘u Crater has been visible via Webcam throughout the past week. The circulation pattern was interrupted by short-lived increases in the height of the lava surface that occurred about every 20 to 30 minutes. At the end of each period of high lava level, the lava surface dropped back to its previous level. Volcanic gas emissions remain elevated, resulting in high concentrations of sulfur dioxide downwind.

Three earthquakes beneath the Hawaiian Islands were reported felt during the past week. A magnitude-3.3 earthquake occurred at 2:31 a.m. HST on Saturday, January 8, 2011, and was located 8 km (5 mi) southeast of Pu‘u ‘O‘o Crater. A magnitude-2.9 earthquake occurred at 8:08 p.m. later that same day and was located 6 km (4 mi) northwest of Captain Cook. A magnitude-3.2 earthquake occurred at 12:38 p.m. on Sunday, January 9, 2011, and was located 25 km (16 mi) east of Waimanalo, O‘ahu.
Visit the HVO Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed Kilauea and Mauna Loa activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

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