Thanksgiving at Halema’uma’u

One out of five people apparently enjoy the daytime view of the fuming crater :)

After sharing a Thanksgiving dinner with friends at Kipuka Puaulu (Bird Park) just down the road from Halema’uma’u, I drove to the Jaggar Museum where the best view of the crater is and took these photos to share with you.(Click on any photo for a larger view)

Dusk allows for the first look at lava glow reflected up into the toxic fumes for this tour group sitting along the upper drop-offs near Jaggar.

I love the leaning weathered ohia lehua trees that sparsely dot the massive crater.

March 19th, 2008 is when this active vent blasted its way through the main crater floor leaving a hole about 165 feet across. At that time molten lava was a long way down from the edge at around 650 feet below of the new vents rim. These days the broiling lake of lava inside there is holding at around the 250-foot mark but has been as high as within 135 feet of the vents rim, and the width of the nearly vertical walled vent is now 500-feet across! Infation/deflation magma pressures deep within Kilauea volcano fluctuate often, pushing up or draining down the lava lake inside.

After dark, back at the Jaggar balcony overlook. (Hawaii Volcanoes ational Park is open 24 hours a day, but the Kīlauea Visitor Center hours are 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. and the Jaggar Museum 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. ph#(808) 985-6051.

A zoomed in look at the entire vent and reflective lava glowing off surrounding rock walls