Volcano Watch: Kīlauea Volcano’s eruptions offer picturesque viewing opportunities

July 21, 2016 Huge Pali Collapse from Mick Kalber on Vimeo.

Video courtesy of Tropical Visions Video with air transportation by Paradise Helicopters.

The active lava flow continues to creep across the coastal plain on Kīlauea’s south flank. Breakouts of pāhoehoe (foreground) are fed by lava traveling through lava tubes from the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent and down Pulama pali (top background). USGS photo.

The active lava flow continues to creep across the coastal plain on Kīlauea’s south flank. Breakouts of pāhoehoe (foreground) are fed by lava traveling through lava tubes from the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent and down Pulama pali (top background). USGS photo.

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

This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow field. The area of the active flow field as of July 8 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as mapped on July 19 is shown in red. Older Puʻu ʻŌʻō lava flows (1983–2016) are shown in gray. The blue lines over the Puʻu ʻŌʻō flow field are steepest-descent paths calculated from a 2013 digital elevation model (DEM), while the blue lines on the rest of the map are steepest-descent paths calculated from a 1983 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 the 1983 10-m digital elevation model (DEM).

This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow field. The area of the active flow field as of July 8 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as mapped on July 19 is shown in red. Older Puʻu ʻŌʻō lava flows (1983–2016) are shown in gray.
The blue lines over the PuÊ»u ʻŌʻō flow field are steepest-descent paths calculated from a 2013 digital elevation model (DEM), while the blue lines on the rest of the map are steepest-descent paths calculated from a 1983 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 the 1983 10-m digital elevation model (DEM).

What an exciting time for KÄ«lauea volcano-watchers!

Simultaneous eruptions at the summit and along the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea might be old news, but a change in late May has created some excitement: a new vent opened on the eastern flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and is now sending lava down the south flank of Kīlauea and across the coastal plain for the first time since 2013.

At Kīlauea’s summit, the sloshing, splashing lava lake within the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater vent has been high enough at times that spatter (bits of molten lava) is occasionally visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. At night, spectacular views of reddish glow against the dark sky and Milky Way have enthralled visitors.

The new Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō lava flow has been informally named “61g,” as it is the 7th flow (g) in the 61st episode of the ongoing Kīlauea East Rift Zone eruption, which began in 1983. The flow now extends roughly 10 km (6 miles) from the vent, and is advancing to the southeast along the eastern border of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Closer to the vent at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, molten lava moves downslope beneath a newly solidified lava surface through a system of lava tubes. It then streams over Pulama pali, a lava-mantled fault scarp, where, at times, the lava produces impressive ʻaʻā channels on the steep slopes. On the more gentle gradients of the coastal plain, the flow advances as slower-moving pāhoehoe lava lobes and sheets.

The lava flow front remains active, but has made little forward progress toward the ocean in the past two weeks. As of July 20, the flow front remained about 720 m (0.4 mi) from the emergency road and 850 m (0.5 mi) from the ocean. A few hundred meters (yards) upslope of the flow front, breakouts of pāhoehoe lava continue to widen the flow margins.

Visitors hoping to view the flow should consult access and critical safety information before attempting the long hike. Lava-viewing information is available from both the National Park (http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm)
and Hawai‘i County (http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/lava-viewing/).

At this point, we cannot say with certainty if or when lava might reach the ocean. If it does, a different set of hazards—from steam explosions to collapsing lava deltas—will impact lava-viewing opportunities. Staying informed will help you stay safe.

To keep up with recent KÄ«lauea activity, you can sign up for daily updates via email and text message through the free USGS Volcano Notification Service (http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns/). You can also visit the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website (hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for daily updates, recent photos, maps, and other resources.


Time-lapse movie from a camera positioned on the southeast flank of Puʻu ʻŌʻō, looking toward the active flow advancing to the southeast. The breakout point is at the left edge of the image, and the mid-field skyline at the right is roughly coincident with the top of the pali. July 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO


Time-lapse image movie from a research camera positioned on Holei Pali, looking east towards Lava Flow 61G and Kalapana. July 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

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