Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for April 26, 2012

[jwplayer config=”480×360-4:3″ mediaid=”67517″]
Time-lapse thermal imaging movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent

(Activity updates are written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)

A few hundred meters (yards) up from the lava flow front, pahoehoe breakouts of a more fluid appearance were abundant. USGS Photo by David Dow

A few hundred meters (yards) up from the lava flow front, pahoehoe breakouts of a more fluid appearance were abundant. USGS Photo by David Dow

A lava lake present within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent during the past week resulted in night-time glow that was visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook. The lake, which is normally about 80–115 m (260–380 ft) below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater and visible by HVO`s Webcam, rose and fell slightly during the week in response to a series of deflation-inflation cycles.

On Kilauea`s east rift zone, surface lava flows were active on the pali and coastal plain over the past week. By Monday, April 23, the flows had just entered Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. As of Thursday, April 26, these flows were advancing slowly towards the ocean and were about 900 m (0.6 miles) from the water.

Two earthquakes beneath the Hawaiian Islands were reported felt this past week. A magnitude-1.8 earthquake occurred at 6:11 a.m., HST, on Friday, April 20, 2012, and was located 14 km (9 mi) northwest of Na`alehu, Hawai`i at a depth of 5 km (3 mi). A magnitude-2.7 earthquake occurred at 4:42 p.m., HST, on Monday, April 23, 2012, and was located 19 km (12 mi) southwest of Makena, Maui, at shallow depth.

Visit the HVO Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed Kilauea and Mauna Loa activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov

Another look at the rough, spiny breakouts at the flow front Monday (April 23). USGS Photo by David Dow

Another look at the rough, spiny breakouts at the flow front Monday (April 23). USGS Photo by David Dow

The flows active on the coastal plain for the last month and a half have entered Hawaii Volcanoes National Park over the past few days. These flows were just 55 meters (180 ft) within the Park boundary, and 900 meters (0.6 miles) from the ocean on Monday (April 23). The pahoehoe breakouts at the flow front had a rough, spiny texture possibly because they were slightly cooler than more typical fluid pahoehoe toes. USGS Photo by David Dow

The flows active on the coastal plain for the last month and a half have entered Hawaii Volcanoes National Park over the past few days. These flows were just 55 meters (180 ft) within the Park boundary, and 900 meters (0.6 miles) from the ocean on Monday (April 23). The pahoehoe breakouts at the flow front had a rough, spiny texture possibly because they were slightly cooler than more typical fluid pahoehoe toes. USGS Photo by David Dow

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active. Episodes 1–48b (1983–1986) are shown in dark gray; episodes 48c–49 (1986–1992) are pale yellow; episodes 50–53 and 55 (1992–2007) are tan; episode 54 (1997) is yellow; episode 58 (2007–2011) is pale orange; the episode 59 Kamoamoa eruption (March 2011) is at left in light reddish orange; and the episode 60 Puʻu ʻŌʻō overflows and flank breakout (Mar–August 2011) is orange. The currently active Peace Day flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red—light red is the extent of the flow from September 21, 2011, to April 11, 2012, and bright red marks flow expansion from April 11 to April 26. The active lava tube is delineated by the yellow line within the active flow field, but its actual trace has not been updated recently. The contour interval on Puʻu ʻŌʻō is 5 m.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active. Episodes 1–48b (1983–1986) are shown in dark gray; episodes 48c–49 (1986–1992) are pale yellow; episodes 50–53 and 55 (1992–2007) are tan; episode 54 (1997) is yellow; episode 58 (2007–2011) is pale orange; the episode 59 Kamoamoa eruption (March 2011) is at left in light reddish orange; and the episode 60 Puʻu ʻŌʻō overflows and flank breakout (Mar–August 2011) is orange. The currently active Peace Day flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red—light red is the extent of the flow from September 21, 2011, to April 11, 2012, and bright red marks flow expansion from April 11 to April 26. The active lava tube is delineated by the yellow line within the active flow field, but its actual trace has not been updated recently. The contour interval on Puʻu ʻŌʻō is 5 m.

[jwplayer config=”550×310-16:9″ mediaid=”67531″]
Time-lapse movie of coastal plain cameras

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

Quantcast