Pu‘u ‘Ō ‘ō Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO

(Activity updates are written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)

Halemaumau Overlook Vent Thursday (July 28). Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO.

The lava lake within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent remains at a relatively high level within the vent cavity as the summit of Kilauea continues to inflate slowly. Heating of the vent walls above the lava lake continues to cause loud popping and cracking noises– sometimes audible from the Jaggar Museum Overlook–and glow from the summit has been bright.

The perched lava lake within Pu`u `O`o crater remains active and has continued to be uplifted by underlying magmatic pressure over the past week. On Monday, July 25, lava erupting around the base of the lava lake overtopped the low western rim of Pu`u `O`o crater and began flowing outside the crater towards the southwest. This relatively narrow flow, entirely within the National Park and flowing towards the western margin of the existing flow field, has continued to be active at the time of writing (Thursday, July 28).

No earthquakes beneath Hawai`i Island were reported felt this past week.

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.