Lava activity confined to Pu’u O`o and Halema’uma’u craters - and - lava movie update

The pink is where it was just weeks ago, the red where the surface breakouts are today.

Surface flows of lava that were flowing down the Pulama Pali (again, the pinkish zones in the flow field map above), and across the coastal plains right into the ocean ended on the last day I was out there, and reported on in my New Years Eve posting.

According to USGS Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory (HVO) updates, there some surface flows 2 miles southwest of Pu`u O`o, and a new shield mound swelling with stored lava, as well as pooling inside the crater. I suspect that one day these shields will rupture and re-introduce lava down the Pulama Pali below.

Inside the Halema’uma’u the broiling lake of lava has risen to within 250-feet, or 80-meters, of the main crater floor rim, and has been exhibiting some more violent activity. One such event was documented last week and now posted on HVO’s images and worth a watch. (Their video is posted below the January 25th heading.)

Toxic sulphur dioxide fume levels have been elevated to as much as 1500 metric tons per day and those volcanic fumes, or vog as it is known as here, have been more often spreading down across the Hawaiian Island chain do to southerly wind patterns lately. In fact it is voggy where I am at now, on Cape Kumukahi; ironically, the lighthouse at the cape is where the air quality for all of America is sampled and considered the base scale for the purest air of all - well not today!

My home shook firmly but briefly earlier in the week from a 4.7 earthquake that was located midway between the Big Islands south shoreline, west of the recent surface flow, and Pu`u O`o. That event was felt far and wide on the island and was followed by something like 57 small aftershocks, the largest being around 3.0 on the magnitude scale. Interestingly, the USGS did not believe these quake clusters were related to any magma movement.

Take a look at the difference a year has made to the extensive lava flow fields from crater to sea, as shown on these HVO maps: Here is the area one year ago-- the January 13th 2011 flow map:
-And the January 26th 2012 flow map I posed at top: Use the Royal Gardens and Kalapana Gardens subdivisions as reference points.

The new lava movie project:

My absence of recent posts has been from both a lack of accessible lava and my complete dedication to my new lava movie.
I am very excited about this video production -- it has finally taken form and I have a pretty tight draft as of now. This movie is really powerful, fast paced and emotionally moving-- It is very near to exactly one hour in length (it would make an excellent TV special on programs like the Discovery Channel and I will be submitting it to TV outlets eventually). Film festivals for sure too.

Where the project goes from here:
I still have some very serious final editing to do, six music tracks to buy license to, and a host of other post-production hurtles to deal with, right up to Full High Definition versions for both screen and top quality DVD’s.

These challenges are all doable but what is stopping me now is funding; I simply can not move forward without help; this movie will stop as a draft on my big hard drives without sponsorship.

*This is where you can join in and become an active part of this lava production!*

--- Anyone that contributes will have the choice to be listed in the credits of the final movie— Donations over various amounts, listed down on the right of the page here, will get other special rewards like you being listed as executive producers or sponsors, receiving signed lava photos and DVD’s, get personal invites to the opening screenings, which I will attend. (The first showing will likely start at our local Palace Theatre here on the Big Island, and then to the US west coast venues).

You wouldn’t be on my site here if you also weren’t also keen on eruptive lava action and the amazing things it does while it is transforming an entire landscape and even dislocating entire communities.
Since the beginning of this blog 2 ½ years ago I have been offering Hawaiian Lava Daily to simply share with you what I am passionate about and blessed to be able do: hike, take lava eruption photos & videos, then post these images and write about it. My site has always been free of advertising because I did not want my offering to be about money, as most internet sites are; I just wanted to share these passions.

If I could, I would certainly complete this film on my own, but I can’t. So if you have enjoyed my postings, lava photos and videos, you can now share in both my passion for lava and in helping to get this super-cool lava movie out in to the world for all to enjoy. There are a few different ways you can donate; I explain them within my plea that is all down along the right of this page.

And mahalo nui loa (a big thank you) to those of you that have already chipped in!! This movie will get done yet! My goal is to have the hurdles past us and to be showing the movie and sending out DVD’s by this summer.