~ Further reduction in lava activity within the eruption zones ~

After such a powerful month or more of volcanic action from mountain to sea, things are really settling down right now. Click on the highlighted words here to see my post A month in pictures of a lava flow to see some of these highlights.

I am very curious as to what this volcano will do next when inflation returns: will it simply reenergize? - Breakout in new places on the mountain or coastal flats? - Re-inflate near Kalapana Gardens homes? – Or surprise us with a new twist as is often the way of a Volcano Goddess like Pele (pro. Pay-lay) … like starting an entire new eruption flow…

Presently a serious drop in magma and lava pressures is taking place and being recorded on the US Geological Survey/Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS/HVO) tiltmeter graphs; especially at the Pu`u O`o crater, which is where the coastal lava flow originates from: erupting from nearby and running through tubes all the way to the sea miles below.

For me personally, I am taking advantage of Pele’s pause and focusing on my new movie, which will take weeks of concentrated effort. I will also be continuing to set up my lava photo display booth at the county viewing area a few days a week.

Coastal lava viewing
Yes there will be lava sights to be seen from the viewing road even though the eruption intensity has diminished in the coastal flats area: fuming/degassing lines down the mountainside, possible vegetation fires or lava breakouts near or far, vast areas of shiny new lava fields with fumes wafting from them, and steam rising into the air where lava continues entering the ocean a mile away and will glow red-orange after dark.

Halema’uma’u Crater
The Halema’uma’u crater has been degassing sulfur dioxide fumes by day and glowing strongly at times after dark from lava deep within the craters pit vent. The broiling molten lava moves up and down inside this massive eruptive vent at times, in kind of a pistoning action. Great views of this impressive crater are from the Jaggar Museum balcony within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, depending on the weather; and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day with a nominal entrance fee by day.

For direct information on what is being seen from the viewing area each day you can phone the JanGuard security staff, stationed right on site, between 2:00 PM and 9:00 PM daily at (808) 430-1966 or the Lava Viewing Hotline: 961-8093

I may not post my lava reports as often until some new changes to the eruption activity begin…. You can always go back through my blog and read-up on all the days you missed :)

… There is some nice south surfing swells coming into the shores now… see you down there…