(Click on the images for a larger size)The Last Stand on a Moonlit lavascape:
After-hours. This is the only hut left standing on the edge of the official public viewing area (The third in four months) … I wonder if “Donations to keep the Kalapana lava site open” is going to have an affect here … Pele seems to be the big donator at this site now.
Below are viewers at dusk Tuesday:
Looking southeast
looking westPahoehoe lava continued to fill the lower areas directly surrounding the public Hawaii County viewing area all day yesterday and into the night. By 10:00 PM the entire terrain on nearly three sides had risen and was within fifty feet of the last little County hut within the high point of the cordoned-off portions of the viewing area. If the rise has continued over night it looks quite possible that the advancing lava might (or already did) spill over the viewing area and flow back to the north east to begin covering yet another segment of highway 130 and kipuka forests, which is presently the parking area for visitors as well as headquarters for the security management overseeing the public lava viewing for the County. We shall find out later today…
The moonlit lavascape looking south from the viewing area at 10:00 PM last night. More forest burns in the distance.The leading sea-bound edge of this lava flow is 600 feet south of the viewing area and maybe 3000-feet or so from the sea. The eastern edge of the flow was paralleling the old trail that led to the coastal viewing area. At its present rate of seaward thrust, this surface flow will be touch the ocean within two or three days I would expect…
On Tuesday, about one thousand visitors gathered in the afternoon and into the evening to witness Pele in action.
The only way to find out what the lava is doing there today is to drive to the end of highway 130 and find out. I will be out there in the afternoon. If I owned a cell phone and did the tweet thing I could give you an onsite report, but I don’t ;)
Up in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park the Halema’uma’u crater pit vent has been glowing very bright red-orange on most nights this week.
Posts
Excellent shots. I smelled smoke last night, but I'm not sure if it was from the forest fire that far over. I couldn't find any sign of another fire near by though. I really hope I can get over that way this weekend or sooner. Hopefully, Madame Pele will still be showing some action then.
ReplyDelete