Large Lava Plumes Rise High Into Blue Skies - but deflation period begins

The USGS inflation/deflation (Deformation) graph pictured above shows a sharp drop in lava pressure within the Kilauea Volcano. This will translate on the ground as a weaker lava flow to the sea by tonight.

Muggy was the word for yesterday and for a one-to-none bed sheet night. But this morning dawned with the blessing of a slightest of Trade breezes.

The almost lack of wind caused the plume from the lava ocean entry to rise nearly straight up for close to two thousand feet this morning , making it look huge even from my upper lanai eighteen miles away.

The same was reported on the US Geological Survey’s Kilauea eruption website this morning regarding the sulfur dioxide plume rising high from the active vent on the floor of Halema`uma`u crater.

I did not make it out to the Waikupanaha coastal lava viewing area last night but here is a direct quote from this mornings USGS update page:

“Last night, CD (Civil Defense) officials reported another beautiful viewing night with lava entering the ocean across a beach; surface flows were active high on the pali (within the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision) and was moving eastward and down the pali (cliffs).”

I will go out there tonight and check it out.

Surf here along the east & southeast is fairly quite at 1 to 3 feet, but reports from Oahu are expecting a solid north swell.

4:30 PM update: The Civil Defense closed the lava viewing area at 4:00PM due to light & variable winds bending the large and toxic plume back over the viewing area. Toxins in the plume are many; with the worst ones being sulfur dioxide, glass particles and hydrochloric acid. The acid rains down from the plume like fine raindrops but burns the eyes even at a mile or two from the ocean entry. Floating glass fragments destroy lungs…. This is why we have a ‘safe viewing area’.

Jupiter & Ocean Entry Lava Plume Last Night

I took this photo last night from the trailhead leading to the ¾ of a mile lava walk out to the Civil Defense official viewing area. Visitors from the world over that I spoke with reported witnessing large explosions of lava shooting high up & out the base of lava flowing into the sea.

Hawaii weather office was forecasting the possibility of thunder storms and heavy rain last night, yet here on the southeast corner of the Big Island we saw no rain; only Jupiter shining brightly overhead and a large moon dancing between wafting Trade clouds – Muggy but otherwise a beautiful evening.

Today we awoke to a still, gray & humid sky blanket of cloud and volcanic haze. A moist and unstable air mass remains over the islands today and forecasters continue warning of the possibility of thunderstorms with heavy rain today through tonight.

Here is a cool view of the Northeast Pacific water vapor loop hosted by NOAA Satellite and Information Service. The view shown will be updated every hour but it currently shows the disturbed convection around the Hawaiian Islands. A closer look at that can also be seen here .

Waves To Myself

(This photo shows the same spot and surf conditions as today, but taken aother time)

I jumped in the ocean today to catch some rides. I was the only one out at Shacks. The reason others were not was likely the sea conditions were minimal for surfing… Well not quite minimal: short period easterly-wrap wind waves were occasionally mixed with some pretty good southeast swells, and those are the ones I waited for. The light wind chop was not too bad either… and the sun was out and about 81*!

All the Hawaiian Islands are under a Flash Flood Watch yet it is only partly cloudy, light winds and very little shower activity on the local radar screens… But I suppose the weather pro’s must be calculating something I can’t find…

Meanwhile up in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Pele's hale (home) the crater is doing cool things: (From the USGS site --
"This Quicktime movie shows the disappearance of the lava pond deep within the Halema'uma'u Crater vent cavity during the early morning hours of October 3. The lava surface undergoes two filling and draining cycles, and then retreats to deeper levels in the conduit, completely out of view, around 2 am." -- (It can take 30-seconds to load these Quicktime clips)

Harvest Lava Full Moon at the Viewing Area

(Click on photos for larger size)


After a beautiful sunset, people streaming out on the three quarter mile lava trail to the official viewing area not only witnessed a strong ocean entry lava plume but also watched a full harvest moon rise out of the Pacific. And as darkness grew, they also could look far up the mountain toward the Pu`u O`o eruption zone and see a broad surface breakout of orange-red lava; as shown in the photo above I took last night with a telephoto lens. A couple of days ago geologists with the US Geological Survey explored this same area, which is within the now long-abandoned and destroyed Royal Gardens subdivision, and they documented this pouring of pahoehoe molten lava. The clip really shows the fluid-viscous nature of pahoehoe. (This is a QuickTime video and uploads rather slow the 1st time).

Heavy Rains Abate – Halema'uma'u Crater Vent Dims – Large Lava Plume at Ocean

A wide and powerful plume of steam and sulfur dioxide is billowing into the leftover rain clouds this morning, as viewed from my home eighteen miles away. I would guess this is a result of more lava coming down under higher inflation - pressure generated from the Kilauea Volcano and pouring out onto the widening new lava bench at the shoreline. I will go take a closer look tonight and report here tomorrow morning on this.

The view from my home here at the easterly tip of the Big Island of the lava plume, or anything else, has been obscured for nearly two days because of waves of heavy rains pushed at times by some gusty winds and cooler temperatures—Almost like the first wave of a Hawaiian autumn!
… Until this morning —Rains have ceased (for now), and there are some patches of blue poking through, and the choppy seas are settling down.

The volcanologists up on the rim of Halema'uma'u Crater are reporting that a partial collapse of more of the edge of the expanding vent on the craters floor has caused a reduction in the vent de-gassing fumes and also created less glow at night coming from the pool of lava deep within the vent hole. The broiling pond of lava rises up and down as well, and is currently down.

I am curious if the large surface flows of lava we witnessed a few days ago are continuing... I will go take a look tonight at that too If the rains stay away for awhil longer.

Rain and Cooler Temps Slow Down All the Fun

Body Boarder at Pohoiki (click on any post photo for a larger image)

Wind & Rain sure did take my outside plans away both yesterday and today; at least here on the Southeast side of the Big Island. The aina (land) needs rain for sure but all the fun stuff like lava viewing and surfing was not as nice to do… but I’m a fair-weather surfer kinda guy… I imagine others enjoyed the day anyway.

So I did not see the beach or the lava entry for the last 24-hours. But I did come across a little local flavor for you: Our infamous area councilwoman speaks up about local kids drinking and driving too fast down at our favorite surf spot on this side of the island, and what she did about it - and what she wants done. In the clip you will see some nice video of this beach park and surf breaks.

I have spent a lot of time at the shoreline she is concerned about and I feel that most of the time the locals hangin there self-police the area really well: they place “SLOW DOWN” barrels in the middle of the road, and as they sit on the roadside picnic tables they will call-out at anybody driving too fast. But sometimes, like on weekends, some of da bruddahs do get a little rowdy, but daht seems pretty normal to me…

... Emily makes some good points as only she can: on this link

Waikupanaha Ocean Entry Lava Returns

Molten lava began flowing back through the underground tubes that extend down slope from the actual eruption site, which is six & a half miles above, and directly into the ocean. After dark visitors were witnessing a moderate plume with undulating burst of lava glow and small explosions. A small bench of new land continues to form as the lava spreads out across it.
The other image here is a USGS photo of the Halema`uma`u crater as it appears now.

On the mountainside far above the ocean entry is a broad expanse of lava that recently broke out onto the surface. After dark this looked quite spectacular. I will continue to report on this surface flow; it is the kind of surface flow that can possibly continue down towards the sea and cover up the remnants of highway 130 and the current lava viewing area. But at this time this surface flow is more than four miles upslope and poses no immediate threat.

About five hundred visitors walked out the 3/4 –mile lava path to the controlled viewing area to watch lava entering the ocean.

Meanwhile, up in the Kilauea Caldera in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the 400-foot diameter hole on the Halema`uma`u crater floor(shown in daytime above) has been glowing red & orange after dark. Within the vent, far below the crater floor, there is an undulating pond of broiling molten lava sputtering huge gas bubbles. This pond was recorded Sept. 29th, 2009 by infrared cameras and you can watch a short Quicktime clip here (Allow up to 30-seconds for this to upload)