Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for May 2, 2019

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Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for May 2, 2019

Posted on May 2, 2019. Tags: halemaumau, hvo, kilauea, lava, puu oo, usgs, volcano, volcano watch

A small collapse of the Puâ€˜u â€˜ÅŒâ€˜Å crater at 6:14 a.m. HST today (May 1, 2019) was the last 'hurrah' for a GPS instrument located on the crater's edge (red circle). This station, designated PUOC, served faithfully throughout KÄ«lauea's 2018 eruption and was an important source of information on the shallow magma system of Puâ€˜u â€˜ÅŒâ€˜Å. The station's last reported position showed it moving rapidly to the southeast, consistent with motion into the crater (inset shows data transmissions from April 11 through this morning). Monitoring of Puâ€˜u â€˜ÅŒâ€˜Å is currently being accomplished by additional GPS and tilt stations farther from the edge of the crater. The larger equipment installation near the solar panels was not affected by this morning's collapse and continues to function. However, contingency plans are in place in case collapses of the crater edge continue. USGS photo by I. Johanson on March 18, 2019, annotated on May 1, 2019. — A small collapse of the Puâ€˜u â€˜ÅŒâ€˜Å crater at 6:14 a.m. HST Wednesday (May 1, 2019) was the last ‘hurrah’ for a GPS instrument located on the crater’s edge (red circle). This station, designated PUOC, served faithfully throughout KÄ«lauea’s 2018 eruption and was an important source of information on the shallow magma system of Puâ€˜u â€˜ÅŒâ€˜Å. The station’s last reported position showed it moving rapidly to the southeast, consistent with motion into the crater (inset shows data transmissions from April 11 through this morning). Monitoring of Puâ€˜u â€˜ÅŒâ€˜Å is currently being accomplished by additional GPS and tilt stations farther from the edge of the crater. The larger equipment installation near the solar panels was not affected by this morning’s collapse and continues to function. However, contingency plans are in place in case collapses of the crater edge continue. USGS photo by I. Johanson on March 18, 2019, annotated on May 1, 2019.

(Activity updates are written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Surveyâ€™s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)

Ká¿‘lauea Volcano is not erupting and its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at NORMAL. For definitions of USGS Volcano Alert Levels, see https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html.

Rates of seismicity, deformation, and gas release have not changed significantly over the past week. Deformation signals are consistent with refilling of KÄ«laueaâ€™s deep East Rift Zone (ERZ) magma reservoir. Sulfur dioxide emission rates on the ERZ and at KÄ«laueaâ€™s summit remain low.

Four earthquakes with three or more felt reports occurred in HawaiÊ»i this past week:a magnitude-3.4 quake 26 km (16 mi) northeast of HÅnaunau-NÄpÅÊ»opoÊ»o at 7 km (4 mi) depth on May 1 at 1:50 a.m. HST; a magnitude-2.6 quake 9 km (6 mi) southeast of Waimea at 13 km (8 mi) depth on April 30 at 6:37 p.m. HST; a magnitude-1.6 quake 13 km (8 mi) northeast of PÄhala at 32 km (20 mi) depth on April 27 at 5:26 p.m. HST; and a magnitude-4.2 quake 16 km (10 mi) southeast of Volcano Village at 7 km (4 mi) depth on April 27 at 5:26 p.m. HST.

Hazards remain at the lower ERZ and summit of KÄ«lauea. Residents and visitors near the 2018 fissures, lava flows, and summit collapse area should heed Hawaiâ€˜i County Civil Defense and HawaiÊ»i Volcanoes National Park closures and warnings. HVO continues to closely monitor KÄ«lauea for any sign of increased activity.

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

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