This map of two new breakouts at PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ, which began just before 7 a.m., HST, Tuesday (May 24), shows the extent of the lava flows based on aerial photos that were taken at 8:30 a.m. At the time, the larger flow from the northern breakout was traveling down the north flank of PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ, towards the northwest, and was about 1 km (0.6 miles) long, and the flow from the eastern breakout was about 700 meters (0.4 miles) long. The aerial photos used to map the flows are shown over an older satellite image. The new breakouts had not extended beyond the boundary of the PuÊ»u ʻŌʻŠflow field at the time the photos were taken, and neither lava flow currently poses an immediate threat to nearby communities. Photo taken Tuesday, May 24, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
MEDIA RELEASE
4:30 p.m. Wednesday (May 25) Hawaii County Civil Defense lava update audio message.
This is a lava flow information update for Wednesday May 25 at 4:30 p.m. by Hawaii County Civil Defense.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that the two new lava flows from Puʻu ʻŌʻŠremain active but have not advanced significantly. Overflights at 8:30 a.m. this morning and at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon showed both breakouts are approximately the same length as yesterday and remain in areas that have been previously covered by older lava flows.
The larger northern breakout is channeled in a northwest direction within the Kahauale‘a Natural Area Reserve. The smaller breakout is still active but has not advanced significantly. Again, neither lava flow has extended beyond the existing Puʻu ʻŌʻŠflow field. The current activity does not pose any immediate threat to nearby communities, however, a glow may be seen at night.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Hawai‘i County Civil Defense are monitoring the lava flow breakout closely. Residents and businesses downslope will be kept informed of any significant changes.
Additional updates will be broadcast as necessary. Find more information including photos and maps at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/
This small-scale map shows Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow field in relation to the eastern part of the Island of Hawaiʻi. The new breakouts from Puʻu ʻŌʻŠthat began on May 24 are shown in red, as mapped on May 25. The area of the original June 27th lava flow field is shown in pink, as last mapped in detail on May 9. Puʻu ʻŌʻŠlava flows erupted prior to June 27, 2014, are shown in gray. The black box shows the extent of the accompanying large scale map.
The blue lines show steepest-descent paths calculated from a 1983 digital elevation model (DEM; for calculation details, see http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1264/). Steepest-descent path analysis is based on the assumption that the DEM perfectly represents the earth’s surface. DEMs, however, are not perfect, so the blue lines on this map can be used to infer only approximate flow paths. The base map is a partly transparent regional land cover map from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coastal Management draped over a 1983 10-m digital elevation model (DEM). The bathymetry is also from NOAA.
This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow field. The new breakouts from Puʻu ʻŌʻŠthat began on May 24 are shown in red, as mapped on May 25. The area of the original June 27th lava flow field is shown in pink, as last mapped in detail on May 9. Puʻu ʻŌʻŠlava flows erupted prior to June 27, 2014, are shown in gray. Puʻu ʻŌʻŠis at lower left.
The blue lines show steepest-descent paths calculated from a 1983 digital elevation model (DEM; for calculation details, see http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1264/). Steepest-descent path analysis is based on the assumption that the DEM perfectly represents the earth’s surface. DEMs, however, are not perfect, so the blue lines on this map can be used to infer only approximate flow paths. The base map is a partly transparent 1:24,000-scale USGS digital topographic map draped over a 1983 10-m digital elevation model (DEM).
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