Thursday, February 4, 2010

Deflation slowing down ~ Upper & lower flow fields still active ~ Gusty cold north winds continue

Photo of the Day – 2008 Waikupanaha ocean entry lava explodes into the sea while a surface breakout of pahoehoe lava spreads inland -(Not what is happening now unfortunately)

I was unable to go to the flow fields for firsthand look yesterday, but I did receive reports stating the molten lava continued down the new pathway from the top of the pali to its base. (Here’s an image took of this flow earlier this week)

According to tiltmeters on top of Kilauea’s Halema’uma’u and Pu`u O`o craters, the current episode of deflation is leveling off after over 24 hours of dropping. As per usual, we can expect this deflation to reflect onto the current surface flow by manifesting as a lessening of lava feeding it. These kind of changes are not always abrupt and I would imagine molten lava will still be quite visible from the Hawaii County viewing area tonight after dark.

Halema’uma’u Crater cam this morning displayed a strong plume blowing southwesterly.

USGS/HVO update this morning stated that glow from inside the craters pit vent was weak last night.

Cold north winds have blasted the Big Island for over 30-hours straight. Click here complete Hawaii Islands weather update.

No comments:

Post a Comment