On KÄ«lauea Volcano’s 61g coastal flow field today (October 26), the closest active surface flows mapped by HVO geologists were approximately 1.4 km (0.9 miles) from the emergency road. Breakouts at the flow front were mostly sluggish and spread out pāhoehoe toes; a few larger breakouts were short-lived. Other areas of surface breakouts were also found farther upslope, produced by the June 26 breakout, visibly degassing to the right of the green kipuka on the pali. Photo taken Thursday, October 26, 2017 courtesy of USGS/HVO

A thin fluid sheet of pāhoehoe flowed from beneath the fractured crust of a tumulus (an inflated flow surface that is pushed upward) and quickly filled in nearby low areas. This surface flow, which is from the June 26 breakout, was close to the base of the pali. The tumulus pictured here is roughly 3 m (10 ft) tall. Photo taken Thursday, October 26, 2017 courtesy of USGS/HVO

The episode 61g Kamokuna ocean entry was still active today (October 26), with a breakout on the delta surface feeding multiple lava streams on the delta’s seaward edge. Despite the amount of lava entering the water, the ocean entry plume was extremely weak, with little to no sign of it from HVO’s Holei Pali webcam (HPcam), which views the lower half of the 61g flow field, from the ocean entry to the pali. Photo taken Thursday, October 26, 2017 courtesy of USGS/HVO

The lava pond in the west pit of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō remains active. While at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō making observations, HVO geologists witnessed a small rockfall from the western wall (center right of photo where spattering is occurring). The rockfall briefly disturbed the pond surface and produced spattering for several minutes. Rockfalls into the lava pond are fairly common because the unstable west pit rim and walls have many loose altered rocks, overhung ledges, and cracks (example at left center). Photo taken Wednesday, November 1, 2017 courtesy of USGS/HVO

The ocean entry at the Kamokuna lava delta was active today, with a small and wispy steam plume. The ocean entry was being fed by a surface flow on the delta, which is clearly seen in the thermal image (right) as a bright yellow color. The thermal image also shows heat signatures from parallel cracks in the delta that were covered by lava flows during the past several months. Based on today’s overflight, the delta is roughly 4 ha (10 acres) in size. The nearest surface flows on the coastal plain are about 1.4 km (0.9 miles) from the emergency road. Photos taken Wednesday, November 1, 2017 courtesy of USGS/HVO

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Time-lapse thermal image movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent. October 26-November 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

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Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent. October 26-November 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

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Time-lapse movie of Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook Vent from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. October 26-November 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

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Time-lapse movie of KÄ«lauea Caldera from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. October 26-November 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

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

This past week, Kīlauea Volcano’s summit lava lake level fluctuated with summit inflation and deflation, ranging about 29–33 m (95–108 ft) below the vent rim. On the East Rift Zone, the 61g flow remained active, with lava reaching the Kamokuna delta and surface breakouts downslope of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The 61g flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Small-magnitude earthquakes occurred beneath the summit caldera and upper Southwest Rift Zone, mostly at depths less than 5 km (3 mi), with some deeper events at depths of 5–13 km (3–8 mi). GPS and satellite radar measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit caldera and upper Southwest Rift Zone. No significant changes in volcanic gas emissions were measured.

One earthquake with three or more felt reports occurred on the Island of Hawaiʻi during the past week: A magnitude-2.4 earthquake occurred 4 km (2.5 mi) ESE of Leilani Estates at 2 km (1.2 mi) depth on October 29, 2017.

Please visit the HVO website (https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo) for past Volcano Watch articles, volcano updates and photos, recent earthquake info, and more. Call for summary updates at 808-967-8862 (KÄ«lauea) or 808-967-8866 (Mauna Loa). Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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Time-lapse movie of Pu’u ‘O’o Crater. October 26-November 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

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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. October 26-November 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

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Time-lapse image movie from a research camera positioned on Holei Pali, looking east towards Lava Flow 61G and Kalapana. October 26-November 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO