Small ocean entry of lava has returned

You can see a small ocean entry plume along the shoreline.

That is about all the changes to report other than these new aerial photos and information the USGS has posted regarding the eruption zone above the pali, which is where the photo above is posted.

Below I have kept my previous posting, which remains accurate enough to keep for now:
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Pele has celebrated her one-month anniversary of finding the ocean by taking some time off it seems… Nearly all that is left of the coastal lava actually moving on the surface or into the ocean from the April/May eruption flow is this small breakout of A`a & pahoehoe mix shown in the photos below. This morning Ron Boyle located the only hot lava inland from the shoreline a quarter mile or so. It appears that the shield formation at the eruption site at Pu`u O`o crater has perhaps blocked or diverted the lava from entering the April/May tube system.

Above, looking south towards the plumeless ocean.



The breakout of lava - maybe it will pick up pace again...


Looking north, inland near some burned out kipuka forest.

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Meanwhile, visitor count to the Hawaii County lava viewing area continues to drop from the average of 1300 per day to less than 2 to 300: essentualy for good reason; the main show is over: 1) There is really no viewing area; it consists of a blocked-off end of highway 130 and has very little view of the extensive new & warm coastal flats or ocean entry, and 2) The State/County never did relocate the parking back down to roads end, requiring visitors to still have to walk a mile to, and a mile from, the meager ‘viewing area’. 3) Visible lava activity has virtually ceased other than some fuming on the pali and some orange-red glowing after dark up there.
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Active lava viewing prospects:
1) 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. Great views are from the Jaggar Museum within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, depending on the weather & wind, and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day.

2) Coastal viewing: Very limited to views from highway 130 near Kalapana Gardens homes, or a walk to the very end of highway 130 to see where the lava came onto the highway there on May 5th, 2010.
Official viewing hours are from 2:00 PM until around 9:30 PM, with last car allowed in at 8:00 PM. The road is open to all traffic on all other hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is the blog posts for April lava flow
And my most recent days postings for May, 2010
I will add new update blog postings when lava events or viewing options significantly change, otherwise I will skip some days until then,
Aloha,
Leigh

Ocean entry lava has stopped flowing- one month to the day it started ~ New surface flow high above the pali

Pele has celebrated her one-month anniversary of finding the ocean by taking some time off it seems… Nearly all that is left of the coastal lava actually moving on the surface or into the ocean from the April/May eruption flow is this small breakout of A`a & pahoehoe mix shown in the photos below. This morning Ron Boyle located the only hot lava inland from the shoreline a quarter mile or so. It appears that the shield formation at the eruption site at Pu`u O`o crater has perhaps blocked or diverted the lava from entering the April/May tube system.

Above, looking south towards the plumeless ocean.



The breakout of lava - maybe it will pick up pace again...


Looking north, inland near some burned out kipuka forest.

----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, visitor count to the Hawaii County lava viewing area continues to drop from the average of 1300 per day to less than 2 to 300: essentualy for good reason; the main show is over: 1) There is really no viewing area; it consists of a blocked-off end of highway 130 and has very little view of the extensive new & warm coastal flats or ocean entry, and 2) The State/County never did relocate the parking back down to roads end, requiring visitors to still have to walk a mile to, and a mile from, the meager ‘viewing area’. 3) Visible lava activity has virtually ceased other than some fuming on the pali and some orange-red glowing after dark up there.
------------------------------------------------------------------


Active lava viewing prospects:
1) 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. Great views are from the Jaggar Museum within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, depending on the weather & wind, and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day.

2) Coastal viewing: Very limited to views from highway 130 near Kalapana Gardens homes.
Official viewing hours are from 2:00 PM until around 9:00 PM.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is the blog posts for April lava flow
And my most recent days postings for May, 2010
I will add new update blog postings when lava events or viewing options significantly change, otherwise I will skip some days until then,
Aloha,
Leigh

Diminished coastal lava going into the ocean – may be blocked above the pali

In today’s USGS/HVO updates an event possibly affecting the coastal lava flow was observed: “Yesterday, HVO geologists found that a small shield was being built at the original breakout point around 1,900' elevation and that a decreased amount of lava was continuing through the tubes to the coast.”

We have been wondering what was causing the ocean entry lava to be reduced the past few days, perhaps the shield being built near the TEB eruption east of Pu`u O`o crater site is blocking or diverting lava there, or that surface flow breakouts above the pali are diverting lava away from the coastal-headed plumbing system; or both.

Below are two photos taken this morning by field researcher Ron Boyle, the pictures and Ron’s comment sent with them support the diminished ocean entry lava conditions:
Ron reports this hot fatigue fracture crack is red down inside it before daylight, and that only one ocean entry point is presently flowing near the middle of the new entry areas and it is an A`a type of lava, as opposed to the vast volumes of pahoehoe that have been pouring into the sea along the coast there.

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Meanwhile, visitor count to the Hawaii County lava viewing area continues to drop from the average of 1300 per day to less than 400. This would be largly due to three factors: 1) There is really no viewing area; it consists of a blocked-off end of highway 130 and has very little view of the extensive new & warm coastal flats or ocean entry, and 2) The State/County never did relocate the parking back down to roads end and requiring visitors to have to walk a mile to, and a mile from, the meager ‘viewing area’. 3) Visible lava activity is greatly reduced from a week ago as the April-May lava flow has established itself underground and has also diminished in volume into the sea.

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I have finished a feature length movie of the April through May 2010 coastal lava flow and am now making the DVD covers and movie trailer -- there are some awesome scenes in this movie and I look forward to making the DVD available to everyone soon ;). The making of this documentary has left me limited time to gather firsthand field reports for this blog.

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Active lava viewing prospects:
1) 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. Great views are from the Jaggar Museum within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, depending on the weather & wind, and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day.

2) Coastal viewing: Limited to views from highway 130 near Kalapana Gardens homes.
Official viewing hours are from 2:00 PM until around 9:00 PM.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous information:



The USGS/HVO has posted some excellent thermal images overlaid with aerial photos, which, when combined, offer a true picture of just how massive and extended this flow has become. I have posted the images above but you can see their originals with informative & descriptive captions here

Below are my most recent updates, which I believe are still valid today:
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May 24, 2010: More Deflation/Inflation under the volcano ~ Coastal lava flow map ~ New surface flow

An updated field flow map below, painstakingly surveyed and charted by the USGS, can also be opened on their map update site, which also has many other charts and interesting information.

Deflation/Inflation (D/I) pressure swings beneath Kilauea Volcano are being registered by USGS/HVO tilt monitors; these are some of the wildest short-term variances the magma chambers have gone through in some time. Makes me wonder if Pele has some new plans in the works for the eruption.

The past two days I have been working on my new video of the April-May lava flow and not out on the lava flow. Reports from those who have been are saying there is a new surface flow breaking out high above the coastal pali, and also a possible new surface flow west of the present entry points.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below is the timeline links to my posts for this April-May flow:
And my most recent days postings for May, 2010

I will add new update blog postings when lava events or viewing options significantly change.

Thermal images reveal extent of hot coastal lava

The USGS/HVO has posted some excellent thermal images overlaid with aerial photos, which, when combined, offer a true picture of just how massive and extended this flow has become. I have posted the images above but you can see their originals with informative & descriptive captions here

As far as I know, little has changed with the coastal lava flow, parking situation or viewing opportunities at the end of highway 130; though I have not been myself for a couple of days. I do have reports from those that have been there and nothing pronounced has occurred since my last blog post below.

I have been working on a feature length movie of the April through May 2010 coastal lava flow and am now doing the final editing. This has left me limited time to gather firsthand field reports. I will post a trailer to the movie soon.

Below is my most recent updates, which I believe are still valid today:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 24, 2010: More Deflation/Inflation under the volcano ~ Coastal lava flow map ~ New surface flow

An updated field flow map below, painstakingly surveyed and charted by the USGS, can also be opened on their map update site, which also has many other charts and interesting information.

Deflation/Inflation (D/I) pressure swings beneath Kilauea Volcano are being registered by USGS/HVO tilt monitors; these are some of the wildest short-term variances the magma chambers have gone through in some time. Makes me wonder if Pele has some new plans in the works for the eruption.

The past two days I have been working on my new video of the April-May lava flow and not out on the lava flow. Reports from those who have been are saying there is a new surface flow breaking out high above the coastal pali, and also a possible new surface flow west of the present entry points.

As of Sunday, May 23rd, visitors to the end-of-the-road viewing area were still required to park and walk a mile there & back. Perhaps the State or Hawaii County will re-locate parking back to the new lava-covered terminus of highway 130 this week… would be nice. Visitor numbers have steadily dropped this past week from 1300 to closer to four-hundred on Saturday.



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Active lava viewing prospects:
1) 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. Great views are from the Jaggar Museum within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, depending on the weather & wind, and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day.

2) Coastal viewing:
Highway 130 at Kalapana Gardens area -- Between the hours of 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM - park and walk one mile to the end of newly lava covered (May 5th) road; viewing is allowed until about 9:00 PM. Along the walk out and back the steam plumes from the distant ocean entries lava can be seen and after dark it glows orange-red; long lines of degassing lava fumes coming down the hillsides by day –distant red lava orbs lined-up by night; at roads end the still somewhat warm lava on the road can be felt and is still radiating hotter close by but beyond public access. Occasional yellow flare-ups are still, though less often, witnessed in the distance as lava torches trees and vegetation further into the active flow field. Far above the pali, after dark and when low clouds are present, the orange-red glow of a new surface flow can be seen reflected on the clouds. Offered at the parking area only: security personnel, vendors, who sometimes have water for a dollar, and port-o-potties available; at roads end there are barricades, port-o-potties and security personnel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Further information, links and warnings:
The coastal entry points are still emptying a lot of lava into the sea as new deltas area being rapidly built. The entire half-mile length of the ocean entry and all land adjacent to it inland is quickly becoming unstable and should be kept well aware of from now on:
HAZARD ALERT: The lava delta and adjacent areas both inland and out to sea are some of the most hazardous areas on the flow field. Frequent delta/bench collapses give little warning, can produce hot rock falls out to 400 m (quarter mile) inland and in the adjacent ocean, and can produce large local waves and scalding water. The steam plume produced by lava entering the ocean contains fine lava fragments and an assortment of acid droplets that can be harmful to your health. The rapidly changing conditions near the ocean entry have been responsible for many injuries and a few deaths.

Below is the timeline links to my posts for this April-May flow:
You can watch the May 5th feature Hawaii-News-Now story of the lava coming onto the end of highway 130 by clicking this link here

Click on this link for a complete blog summary of this entire April, 2010 surface flow of lava; from mountain to sea: (scroll to the bottom and read each post running up for a chronological timeline)

And my most recent days postings for May, 2010

I will keep this as my main posting update layout in the coming days, adding new headings and images as lava events warrant.

More Deflation/Inflation under the volcano ~ Coastal lava flow map ~ New surface flow

An updated field flow map below, painstakingly surveyed and charted by the USGS, can also be opened on their map update site, which also has many other charts and interesting information.

Deflation/Inflation (D/I) pressure swings beneath Kilauea Volcano are being registered by USGS/HVO tilt monitors; these are some of the wildest short-term variances the magma chambers have gone through in some time. Makes me wonder if Pele has some new plans in the works for the eruption.

The past two days I have been working on my new video of the April-May lava flow and not out on the lava flow. Reports from those who have been are saying there is a new surface flow breaking out high above the coastal pali, and also a possible new surface flow & ocean entry west of the present entry points.

As of Sunday, May 23rd, visitors to the end-of-the-road viewing area were still required to park and walk a mile there & back. Perhaps the State or Hawaii County will re-locate parking back to the new lava-covered terminus of highway 130 this week… would be nice. Visitor numbers have steadily dropped this past week from 1300 to closer to four-hundred on Saturday.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Active lava viewing prospects:
1) 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. Great views are from the Jaggar Museum within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, depending on the weather & wind, and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day.

2) Coastal viewing:
Highway 130 at Kalapana Gardens area -- Between the hours of 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM - park and walk one mile to the end of newly lava covered (May 5th) road; viewing is allowed until about 9:00 PM. Along the walk out and back the steam plumes from the distant ocean entries lava can be seen and after dark it glows orange-red; long lines of degassing lava fumes coming down the hillsides by day –distant red lava orbs lined-up by night; at roads end the still somewhat warm lava on the road can be felt and is still radiating hotter close by but beyond public access. Occasional yellow flare-ups are still, though less often, witnessed in the distance as lava torches trees and vegetation further into the active flow field. Far above the pali, after dark and when low clouds are present, the orange-red glow of a new surface flow can be seen reflected on the clouds. Offered at the parking area only: security personnel, vendors, who sometimes have water for a dollar, and port-o-potties available; at roads end there are barricades, port-o-potties and security personnel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Further information, links and warnings:
The coastal entry points are still emptying a lot of lava into the sea as new deltas area being rapidly built. The entire half-mile length of the ocean entry and all land adjacent to it inland is quickly becoming unstable and should be kept well aware of from now on:
HAZARD ALERT: The lava delta and adjacent areas both inland and out to sea are some of the most hazardous areas on the flow field. Frequent delta/bench collapses give little warning, can produce hot rock falls out to 400 m (quarter mile) inland and in the adjacent ocean, and can produce large local waves and scalding water. The steam plume produced by lava entering the ocean contains fine lava fragments and an assortment of acid droplets that can be harmful to your health. The rapidly changing conditions near the ocean entry have been responsible for many injuries and a few deaths.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below is the timeline links to my posts for this April-May flow:
You can watch the May 5th feature Hawaii-News-Now story of the lava coming onto the end of highway 130 by clicking this link here

Click on this link for a complete blog summary of this entire April, 2010 surface flow of lava; from mountain to sea: (scroll to the bottom and read each post running up for a chronological timeline)

And my most recent days postings for May, 2010

Brief deflation episode quiets crater plume

As shown in the images above, within hours of deflation being recorded by USGS deformation tilt monitors, Halema’uma’u’s now infamous billowing sulfur dioxide plume turned into a wisp of its former self yesterday, as shown in a comparison of two saved image off their crater cams.


Hawaii Volcano Observatory’s (HVO) Status Page for today gave a nice detailed report of yesterday’s Halema’uma’u event; an excerpt here:

"Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: Three times yesterday, lava rose in the deep pit inset within the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater before abruptly falling to its previous level. The first started rising at around 10:20 am and stayed high until 12:20 pm, the second event was from 2:45 to just after 4 pm, and the third from 7:25 to nearly 8:30 pm. Each high stand was shorter than the previous one and lava rose several meters higher during the second event than during the first and third. The gas plume from the vent went wispy during at least the first two high stands. The change in lava level during a similar event on May 18 was estimated to be about 20 m (66 ft). Each of the three events was accompanied by a large decrease in seismic tremor and a small increase in ground tilt toward the vent; each geophysical measure resumed its previous values after the lava level fell to previous levels.

Between these events, the 60 by 90 m (200 X 300 ft) crusted, circulating, bubbling lava pond at the bottom of the deep collapse pit on the southeast edge of Halema`uma`u Crater, remained fairly stable; the surface appeared as bright jagged lines between slowly drifting crustal plates; bubbling was mostly concentrated at the southern (webcam left) edge where the lava sank out of sight. When weather permitted, glow from the vent was easily visible from the Overlook and in the HVO webcam overnight."

Below are my reports from May 22, as well as previous posts, which continue to reflect the present situation as far as coastal activity with the ongoing lava:
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Lava flow strong and stable from the pali into the sea

Ocean entry May 22, 2010: photographer on the distant left is in a very dangerous location perched on top of the unstable leading edge of the actively forming bench, and in the distant right, a tour boat disapears into the toxic fumes.

(May 22nd:) There are currently no active surface flows between the scattered pali breakouts and the ocean. The plumbing system for this April-May eruption is establishing into two main lava tubes with underground branches along the coast. There are several large ocean entry points of lava and numerous smaller ones; spanning about a half-mile of newly forming shoreline. A few spots of burning vegetation continue along the flow fields.

Coastal lava viewing area news: Hawaii County still have not relocated the visitor parking back down to the terminus of highway 130 as rumor said they would be doing. There is no danger to the public that I can discern by allowing the 600 to 800 visitors currently arriving daily to see some warm lava a little closer to them and not having to walk a mile to do so. The park and walk-in situation is getting ridicules in my opinion, though some people report they actually enjoy the scenic lava forms and views of the ocean entry plume and nighttime glow, and the pali fumes as seen along the end of highway 130.

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May 19-to May 22:) As I have been doing lately, I will repost recent blog reports as they remain reflective of the current situation:
May 5th lava onto highway

Looking northeast -the end of highway 130 can be seen in the top middle of the image. Hawaii County is considering a new viewing area on this section of the still-cooling lava. From that vantage point visitors would have a better view of both the ocean entry plume and the visible spots of lava coming down the pali; as well as the vast acreage of fuming lava fields to the west and south. But for now they are planning to at least move the parking and road-end viewing back to this end of the road – eliminating that mile-long hike there & back. This parking relocation may take place today or tomorrow (This has not yet taken place days later!).
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Below is a reposting of the general overview of conditions on the coast since little has changed in (five) days:
Halema’uma’u Crater still glowing brightly ~ Lava flows hot from mountain to sea


US Geological Service (USGS) at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Observatory (HVO) has posted this excellent aerial photo over crater (above) on their images page. On that page they also have photos and captions about the Pu`u O`o crater cam they lost when a piece of the crater sloughed off a few days ago.


(Click on it for a larger view size in a new window)
The aerial photo is from the April 28th, 2010 USGS image site, and surface lava has advanced further in many areas since, as indicated on my drawings and notes.


Halema’uma’u crater as seen after dark from the balcony of the Jaggar Museum

Active lava viewing prospects:
1) 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. Great views are from the Jaggar Museum within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day.

2) Coastal viewing:
Highway 130 at Kalapana Gardens area -- Between the hours of 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM - park and walk one mile to the end of newly lava covered (May 5th) road; viewing is allowed until about 9:00 PM. Along the walk out and back the steam plume from the distant ocean entry lava can be seen and after dark it glows orange-red; long lines of degassing lava fumes coming down the hillsides by day –distant red lava orbs lined-up by night; at roads end the still-warm lava on the road can be felt and is still radiating hotter close by but beyond public access; occasional yellow flare-ups are witnessed in the distance as lava torches trees and vegetation further into the active flow field. Offered at the parking area only: security personnel, vendors, water and port-o-potties available; at roads end there are barricades, port-o-potties and security personnel.

USGS lava flow map gives a good indication of the active lava zones:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Further information, links and warnings:
Active pahoehoe breakouts continue along with swelling of the hot flow fields at many locations of the April-May surface flow. The coastal entry points are still emptying a lot of lava into the sea as new deltas area being rapidly built. The entire length of the ocean entry and all land adjacent to it inland is quickly becoming unstable and should be kept well aware of from now on:
HAZARD ALERT: The lava delta and adjacent areas both inland and out to sea are some of the most hazardous areas on the flow field. Frequent delta/bench collapses give little warning, can produce hot rock falls out to 400 m (quarter mile) inland and in the adjacent ocean, and can produce large local waves and scalding water. The steam plume produced by lava entering the ocean contains fine lava fragments and an assortment of acid droplets that can be harmful to your health. The rapidly changing conditions near the ocean entry have been responsible for many injuries and a few deaths.

Below is the timeline links to my posts for this April-May flow:
You can watch the May 5th feature Hawaii-News-Now story of the lava coming onto the end of highway 130 by clicking this link here

Click on this link for a complete blog summary of this entire April, 2010 surface flow of lava; from mountain to sea: (scroll to the bottom and read each post running up for a chronological timeline)

And my most recent days postings for May, 2010

I will keep this as my main posting update layout in the coming days, adding new headings and images as lava events warrant.

Lava flow strong and stable from the pali into the sea

Ocean entry this morning: photographer on the left in a very dangerous location, and a tour boat in the toxic fumes on the right.

There are currently no active surface flows between the scattered pali breakouts and the ocean. The plumbing system for this April-May eruption is establishing into two main lava tubes with underground branches along the coast. There are several large ocean entry points of lava and numerous smaller ones; spanning about a half-mile of newly forming shoreline. A few spots of burning vegetation continue along the flow fields.

Coastal lava viewing area news: Hawaii County still has not relocated the visitor parking back down to the terminus of highway 130 as rumor said they would be doing. There is no danger to the public that I can discern by allowing the 600 to 800 visitors currently arriving daily to see some warm lava a little closer to them and not having to walk a mile to do so. The park and walk-in situation is getting ridicules in my opinion, though some people report they actually enjoy the scenic lava forms and views of the ocean entry plume and nighttime glow, and the pali fumes/glow as seen along the end of highway 130.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As I have been doing lately, I will repost yesterdays blog as it is still the current situation:
May 5th lava onto highway

Looking northeast -the end of highway 130 can be seen in the top middle of the image. Hawaii County is considering a new viewing area on this section of the still-cooling lava. From that vantage point visitors would have a better view of both the ocean entry plume and the visible spots of lava coming down the pali; as well as the vast acreage of fuming lava fields to the west and south. But for now they are planning to at least move the parking and road-end viewing back to this end of the road – eliminating that mile-long hike there & back. This parking relocation may take place today or tomorrow (But has not).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below is a reposting of the general overview of conditions on the coast since little has changed in four days:
Halema’uma’u Crater still glowing brightly ~ Lava flows hot from mountain to sea


US Geological Service (USGS) at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Observatory (HVO) has posted this excellent aerial photo over crater (above) on their images page. On that page they also have photos and captions about the Pu`u O`o crater cam they lost when a piece of the crater sloughed off a few days ago.


(Click on it for a larger view size in a new window)
The aerial photo is from the April 28th, 2010 USGS image site, and surface lava has advanced further in many areas since, as indicated on my drawings and notes.


Halema’uma’u crater as seen after dark from the balcony of the Jaggar Museum

Active lava viewing prospects:
1) 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. Great views are from the Jaggar Museum within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day.

2) Coastal viewing:
Highway 130 at Kalapana Gardens area -- Between the hours of 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM - park and walk one mile to the end of newly lava covered (May 5th) road; viewing is allowed until about 9:00 PM. Along the walk out and back the steam plume from the distant ocean entry lava can be seen and after dark it glows orange-red; long lines of degassing lava fumes coming down the hillsides by day –distant red lava orbs lined-up by night; at roads end the still-warm lava on the road can be felt and is still radiating hotter close by but beyond public access; occasional yellow flare-ups are witnessed in the distance as lava torches trees and vegetation further into the active flow field. Offered at the parking area only: security personnel, vendors, water and port-o-potties available; at roads end there are barricades, port-o-potties and security personnel.

USGS lava flow map gives a good indication of the active lava zones:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Further information, links and warnings:
Active pahoehoe breakouts continue along with swelling of the hot flow fields at many locations of the April-May surface flow. The coastal entry points are still emptying a lot of lava into the sea as new deltas area being rapidly built. The entire length of the ocean entry and all land adjacent to it inland is quickly becoming unstable and should be kept well aware of from now on:
HAZARD ALERT: The lava delta and adjacent areas both inland and out to sea are some of the most hazardous areas on the flow field. Frequent delta/bench collapses give little warning, can produce hot rock falls out to 400 m (quarter mile) inland and in the adjacent ocean, and can produce large local waves and scalding water. The steam plume produced by lava entering the ocean contains fine lava fragments and an assortment of acid droplets that can be harmful to your health. The rapidly changing conditions near the ocean entry have been responsible for many injuries and a few deaths.

Below is the timeline links to my posts for this April-May flow:
You can watch the May 5th feature Hawaii-News-Now story of the lava coming onto the end of highway 130 by clicking this link here

Click on this link for a complete blog summary of this entire April, 2010 surface flow of lava; from mountain to sea: (scroll to the bottom and read each post running up for a chronological timeline)

And my most recent days postings for May, 2010

I will keep this as my main posting update layout in the coming days, adding new headings and images as lava events warrant.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park commemorates 10,000th-day of Kilauea eruption

Kilauea Volcano has been continuously erupting since January 3rd 1983. Many eruptive events of the volcano have taken place within that time span, right up to our most recent April-May eruption from Kupaianaha, near Pu`u O`o crater ten thousand days later.

Hawaii 24/7 does a nice article on this event here

Kitv News did a little story on the event here, but they mostly focus on Halema’uma’u crater pit-vent eruption.

USGS Summary of the Pu`u `Ō `ō-Kupaianaha Eruption, 1983-2007

Another sites Kilauea historical eruption timeline up to 1996


Stunning photo of lava pouring onto a black sand beach this morning, kindly contributed by Ron Boyle

Coastal lava viewing area news: Hawaii County has not relocated the visitor parking back down to the terminus of highway 130; maybe today or tomorrow.

Below, I have reposted yesterdays blog as it is still the current situation:
Above -May 5th lava onto highway 130



Looking northeast -the end of highway 130 can be seen in the top middle of the image. Hawaii County is considering a new viewing area on this section of the still-cooling lava. From that vantage point visitors would have a better view of both the ocean entry plume and the visible spots of lava coming down the pali; as well as the vast acreage of fuming lava fields to the west and south. But for now they are planning to at least move the parking and road-end viewing back to this end of the road – eliminating that mile-long hike there & back. This parking relocation may take place today or tomorrow.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below is a reposting of the general overview of conditions on the coast since little has changed in three days:
Halema’uma’u Crater still glowing brightly ~ Lava flows hot from mountain to sea


US Geological Service (USGS) at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Observatory (HVO) has posted this excellent aerial photo over crater (above) on their images page. On that page they also have photos and captions about the Pu`u O`o crater cam they lost when a piece of the crater sloughed off a few days ago.


(Click on it for a larger view size in a new window)
The aerial photo is from the April 28th, 2010 USGS image site, and surface lava has advanced further in many areas since, as indicated on my drawings and notes.


Halema’uma’u crater as seen after dark from the balcony of the Jaggar Museum

Active lava viewing prospects:
1) 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. Great views are from the Jaggar Museum within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day.

2) Coastal viewing:
Highway 130 at Kalapana Gardens area (Note- this parking area may be relocated back to the end of 130 by May 21-22nd)-- Between the hours of 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM - park and walk one mile to the end of newly lava covered (May 5th) road; viewing is allowed until about 9:00 PM. Along the walk out and back the steam plume from the distant ocean entry lava can be seen and after dark it glows orange-red; long lines of degassing lava fumes coming down the hillsides by day –distant red lava orbs lined-up by night; at roads end the still-warm lava on the road can be felt and is still radiating hotter close by but beyond public access; occasional yellow flare-ups are witnessed in the distance as lava torches trees and vegetation further into the active flow field. Offered at the parking area only: security personnel, vendors, water and port-o-potties available; at roads end there are barricades, port-o-potties and security personnel.

USGS lava flow map gives a good indication of the active lava zones:

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Further information, links and warnings:
Active pahoehoe breakouts continue along with swelling of the hot flow fields at many locations of the April-May surface flow. The coastal entry points are still emptying a lot of lava into the sea as new deltas area being rapidly built. The entire length of the ocean entry and all land adjacent to it inland is quickly becoming unstable and should be kept well aware of from now on:
HAZARD ALERT: The lava delta and adjacent areas both inland and out to sea are some of the most hazardous areas on the flow field. Frequent delta/bench collapses give little warning, can produce hot rock falls out to 400 m (quarter mile) inland and in the adjacent ocean, and can produce large local waves and scalding water. The steam plume produced by lava entering the ocean contains fine lava fragments and an assortment of acid droplets that can be harmful to your health. The rapidly changing conditions near the ocean entry have been responsible for many injuries and a few deaths.

Below is the timeline links to my posts for this April-May flow:
You can watch the May 5th feature Hawaii-News-Now story of the lava coming onto the end of highway 130 by clicking this link here

Click on this link for a complete blog summary of this entire April, 2010 surface flow of lava; from mountain to sea: (scroll to the bottom and read each post running up for a chronological timeline)

And my most recent days postings for May, 2010

I will keep this as my main posting update layout in the coming days, adding new headings and images as lava events warrant.

Hawaii County relocating viewing area parking ~ Coastal lava still going strong

May 5th lava onto highway



The present view: Looking northeast -the end of highway 130 can be seen in the top middle of the image. Hawaii County is considering a new viewing area on this section of the still-cooling lava. From that vantage point visitors would have a better view of both the ocean entry plume and the visible spots of lava coming down the pali; as well as the vast acreage of fuming lava fields to the west and south. But for now they are planning to at least move the parking and road-end viewing back to this end of the road – eliminating that mile-long hike there & back. This parking relocation may take place today or tomorrow.
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Below is a reposting of the general overview of conditions on the coast since little has changed in three days:
Halema’uma’u Crater still glowing brightly ~ Lava flows hot from mountain to sea


US Geological Service (USGS) at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Observatory (HVO) has posted this excellent aerial photo over crater (above) on their images page. On that page they also have photos and captions about the Pu`u O`o crater cam they lost when a piece of the crater sloughed off a few days ago.


(Click on it for a larger view size in a new window)
The aerial photo is from the April 28th, 2010 USGS image site, and surface lava has advanced further in many areas since, as indicated on my drawings and notes.


Halema’uma’u crater as seen after dark from the balcony of the Jaggar Museum

Active lava viewing prospects:
1) 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. Great views are from the Jaggar Museum within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the park is open to the public 24 hours a day.

2) Coastal viewing:
Highway 130 at Kalapana Gardens area -- Between the hours of 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM - park and walk one mile to the end of newly lava covered (May 5th) road; viewing is allowed until about 9:00 PM. Along the walk out and back the steam plume from the distant ocean entry lava can be seen and after dark it glows orange-red; long lines of degassing lava fumes coming down the hillsides by day –distant red lava orbs lined-up by night; at roads end the still-warm lava on the road can be felt and is still radiating hotter close by but beyond public access; occasional yellow flare-ups are witnessed in the distance as lava torches trees and vegetation further into the active flow field. Offered at the parking area only: security personnel, vendors, water and port-o-potties available; at roads end there are barricades, port-o-potties and security personnel.

USGS lava flow map gives a good indication of the active lava zones:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Further information, links and warnings:
Active pahoehoe breakouts continue along with swelling of the hot flow fields at many locations of the April-May surface flow. The coastal entry points are still emptying a lot of lava into the sea as new deltas area being rapidly built. The entire length of the ocean entry and all land adjacent to it inland is quickly becoming unstable and should be kept well aware of from now on:
HAZARD ALERT: The lava delta and adjacent areas both inland and out to sea are some of the most hazardous areas on the flow field. Frequent delta/bench collapses give little warning, can produce hot rock falls out to 400 m (quarter mile) inland and in the adjacent ocean, and can produce large local waves and scalding water. The steam plume produced by lava entering the ocean contains fine lava fragments and an assortment of acid droplets that can be harmful to your health. The rapidly changing conditions near the ocean entry have been responsible for many injuries and a few deaths.

Below is the timeline links to my posts for this April-May flow:
You can watch the May 5th feature Hawaii-News-Now story of the lava coming onto the end of highway 130 by clicking this link here

Click on this link for a complete blog summary of this entire April, 2010 surface flow of lava; from mountain to sea: (scroll to the bottom and read each post running up for a chronological timeline)

And my most recent days postings for May, 2010

I will keep this as my main posting update layout in the coming days, adding new headings and images as lava events warrant.