~ Three active lava zones ~

The USGS IMAGES. webpage has an excellent collection of recent photos and descriptions of all three active lava areas; including the Halema’uma’u and Pu`u O`o craters and aerials of the ocean entry and forest burning near the coast. The Pu`u O`o crater has been very active with lava changes lately.

Further down their images page they have some cool QuickTime movies looking down inside the Halema’uma’u lava vent. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory ( HVO) and the U.S. Geological Survey have been celebrating Hawaii Island’s second annual Volcano Awareness Month this month. Visit the HVO Web site or call (808) 967-8844 for more information.

Below are two of the HVO/USGS images from the site linked above.Current ocean entry surface flows on newly developing lava delta.

Below is a photo Ron Boyle took inside the burning forest shown in the aerial above.

I have not been able to get out to the coastal flow for a few days but reports from there, besides the forest and ocean entry covered above, tell of continued small surface breakouts of lava just south of the County Lava Viewing area, as well as a few scattered breakouts elsewhere on the coastal flats. The lava that was advancing toward the home remains very hot but has not advanced further in four days.
The lava that took out the nearby home last November 27th came onto the property in four surges over a two-month span.

To find out about coastal lava activity phone 961-8093 for Civil Defense hotline updates or phone the Janguard on site security management after 2:00 PM at 430-1966 or 217-2215. Management will be on site until 10:00 PM.

National Weather Service Honolulu has issued a HIGH SURF WARNING

BIG ISLAND:
...HIGH SURF WARNING FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON
FOR WEST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND...

...HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY MONDAY FOR
NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF THE ISLANDS OF MAUI COUNTY...

339 AM HST SAT JAN 15 2011

...HIGH SURF WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM SUNDAY TO 6 PM
HST MONDAY...

* SURF...SURF WILL BUILD TO HEIGHTS OF 10 TO 20 FEET ALONG WEST FACING SHORES STARTING EARLY SUNDAY.

* TIMING...SURF WILL INCREASE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON.

OTHER ISLANDS TO THE NORTH:

...HIGH SURF WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON HST MONDAY...

* SURF...SURF ALONG NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF KAUAI AND
NIIHAU WILL INCREASE TO HEIGHTS OF 25 TO 35 FEET TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. SURF ALONG NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF OAHU WILL BUILD
TO HEIGHTS OF 20 TO 30 FEET TONIGHT AND SUNDAY.

* TIMING...SURF WILL INCREASE ON KAUAI AND NIIHAU THIS EVENING...THEN
ON OAHU LATER TONIGHT. SURF WILL PEAK ON SUNDAY.

* IMPACTS...DAMAGING SURF IS EXPECTED. THE INCOMING SWELL HAS A STRONG WESTERLY COMPONENT THAT WILL PRODUCE MUCH LARGER THAN NORMAL SURF ALONG WEST FACING SHORES. DANGEROUS...BATTERING WAVES WILL POUND THE SHORELINE. THE LARGE BREAKING WAVES WILL IMPACT ALII DRIVE AND BEACHFRONT PROPERTIES IN KAILUA-KONA...
ESPECIALLY DURING HIGH TIDES. THIS WILL RESULT IN VERY DANGEROUS SWIMMING CONDITIONS...AND DEADLY RIP CURRENTS.