Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for April 4, 2019

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Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for April 4, 2019

Posted on April 4, 2019. Tags: halemaumau, hvo, kilauea, lava, puu oo, usgs, volcano, volcano watch

HVO geologists (one shown here for scale) examined Kīlauea Volcano's 2018 lava flow near Isaac Hale Beach Park on March 29. This part of the lower East Rift Zone fissure 8 flow is mostly "toothpaste lava"—an informal name for secondary spiny pāhoehoe lava that oozed out from the stalled primary ‘a‘ā flow that reached the coast. This lobe, classic toothpaste lava, is about 3-4 m (9–13 ft) thick and about 70 m (76–77 yds) long. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A closer view of the "toothpaste lava" (glove for scale) spiny texture, which can result in serious injury if people fall while attempting to walk on it. Because folks have already been hurt, the County advises people to avoid this hazard by staying off the lava flow. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

It isn't every day that new outcrops are created, and rarer still when they are on the scale of those formed during the faulting of Kīlauea Volcano's caldera floor in summer 2018. This week's "Volcano Watch" talks about deposits and lava flows that are now exposed as a result of the caldera collapses and why these new outcrops are important to scientists. The article is posted on HVO's website at https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hvo_volcano_watch.html?vwid=1405. USGS photo by D. Swanson.

Scientists (in orange flight suits) hike toward one of HVO's monitoring stations within Kīlauea caldera. The tripod supports a GPS antenna that provides information on deformation of the volcano. The doghouse-like structure (foreground) houses a gravimeter, which measures changes in subsurface mass over time. Together, these two instruments keep continuous watch on changes in surface deformation and the gravity field, both of which are useful indicators of future magmatic activity at Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Poland, 03/25/2019.

A scientist takes a gravity reading at a station located on the down-dropped block of Kīlauea caldera, which subsided as an intact structure, while a second gravity instrument (foreground) records data. Many of the preexisting gravity stations, which have been measured for years, survived Kīlauea's 2018 summit collapse. Remeasuring the stations now and comparing the data to previous results could provide information on what's happening below ground within the volcano's shallow magmatic system. USGS photo by M. Poland, 03/25/2019.

A closer view of a gravity reading at a station located in the south part of Kīlauea caldera. When repeated over time, gravity measurements can detect changes in subsurface mass that might not be detectable by other monitoring methods. Scientists track this data because the changes could be related to magma movement within the volcano. USGS photo by M. Poland, 03/20/2019.

Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau Crater. March 28-April 4, 2019. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

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

The USGS Volcano Alert level for Kῑlauea, which is not erupting, is at NORMAL.

Rates of seismicity, deformation, and gas release have not changed significantly over the past week. Deformation signals are consistent with refilling of Kīlauea Volcano’s deep East Rift Zone (ERZ) magma reservoir. Sulfur dioxide emission rates on the ERZ and at Kīlauea’s summit remain low and have been steady over the past several weeks.

Three earthquakes with three or more felt reports occurred in Hawaiʻi during the past week: a magnitude-2.8 quake 26 km (16 mi) west of Pepeʻekeo at a depth of 33 km (21 mi) on April 1 at 9:42 p.m. HST; a magnitude-3.4 quake 10 km (6 mi) northeast of Pāhala at a depth of 31 km (19 mi) on March 31 at 7:49 a.m. HST; and a magnitude-3.7 quake 2 km (1 mi) southeast of Kapaʻau at a depth of 38 km (24 mi) on March 29at 8:29 p.m. HST.

Hazards still exist at the lower ERZ and summit of Kīlauea. Residents and visitors near the 2018 fissures, lava flows, and summit collapse area should heed Hawai‘i County Civil Defense and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park closures and warnings. HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea for any sign of increased activity.

The USGS Volcano Alert level for Mauna Loa remains at NORMAL.

Please visit HVO’s website (https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo) for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Call 808-967-8862 for weekly Kīlauea updates. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.