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Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for November 1, 2012

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Time-lapse thermal image movie of Halemaumau Overlook vent

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Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau overlook vent

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

A lava lake within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent produced night-time glow that was visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook and by HVO’s Webcam during the past week. The lava lake reached a new high level last weekend, about 22 m (72 ft) below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater on October 26. Cracking and booming noises, caused by thermal fracturing of the vent wall, continued to emanate sporadically from the vent.

On Kilauea’s east rift zone, surface lava flows are still accumulating at the base of the Pulama pali within the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision. The flows reached within 1.3 km (about 0.8 mile) from the shoreline on October 29 and continued to advance slowly. Within the Pu`u `O`o crater, the northeastern pit still holds a circulating lava lake. Occasional flows were erupted from a pit on the southern side of the crater floor.

No earthquakes were reported felt across the Island of Hawai`i during the past week.

Visit the HVO Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov

Pāhoehoe flows are still active on the coastal plain but have advanced little over the past week. On a Monday (Oct 29) field visit, the active flow front was about 1.3 km (0.8 miles) from the ocean. In the background, the remains of Royal Gardens subdivision can be seen on the pali, with the fume sources marking the path of the lava tube. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO

Pāhoehoe flows are still active on the coastal plain but have advanced little over the past week. On a Monday (Oct 29) field visit, the active flow front was about 1.3 km (0.8 miles) from the ocean. In the background, the remains of Royal Gardens subdivision can be seen on the pali, with the fume sources marking the path of the lava tube. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO

A close-up of spiny-textured pāhoehoe lava oozing out from a small crack in the crust. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO

A close-up of spiny-textured pāhoehoe lava oozing out from a small crack in the crust. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO

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Time-lapse movie of the Peace Day Flow area

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active. Episodes 1-48b (1983-1986) are shown in gray; episodes 48c-49 (1986-1992) are pale yellow; episodes 50-53 and 55 (1992-2007) are tan; episode 54 (1997) is yellow; episode 58 (2007-2011) is pale orange; the episode 59 Kamoamoa eruption (March 2011) is at left in light reddish orange; and the episode 60 Puʻu ʻŌʻō overflows and flank breakout (Mar-August 2011) are orange. The currently active Peace Day flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red—light red is the extent of the flow from September 21, 2011, to October 10, 2012, and bright red marks the mapped flow expansion from October 10 to October 29. The position of the closest active flows to the ocean is marked. There have been minor flow margin changes upslope, near the top of Royal Gardens, which are not yet mapped and not shown on this map. The active lava tube is delineated by the yellow line within the active flow field. The contour interval on Puʻu ʻŌʻō is 5 m.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active. Episodes 1-48b (1983-1986) are shown in gray; episodes 48c-49 (1986-1992) are pale yellow; episodes 50-53 and 55 (1992-2007) are tan; episode 54 (1997) is yellow; episode 58 (2007-2011) is pale orange; the episode 59 Kamoamoa eruption (March 2011) is at left in light reddish orange; and the episode 60 Puʻu ʻŌʻō overflows and flank breakout (Mar-August 2011) are orange. The currently active Peace Day flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red—light red is the extent of the flow from September 21, 2011, to October 10, 2012, and bright red marks the mapped flow expansion from October 10 to October 29. The position of the closest active flows to the ocean is marked. There have been minor flow margin changes upslope, near the top of Royal Gardens, which are not yet mapped and not shown on this map. The active lava tube is delineated by the yellow line within the active flow field. The contour interval on Puʻu ʻŌʻō is 5 m.

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