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Volcano Watch: Kilauea status report for June 22, 2013

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Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau overlook vent

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Time-lapse thermal image movie of Halemaumau overlook vent

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Time-lapse multi-image movie of Pu‘u ‘O‘o Crater

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

Recent Observations at Kilauea summit:At the summit, tiltmeters recorded minor fluctuations – a very weak inflationary trend continued. The summit lava lake level fluctuated and remained about 45 m (150 ft) below the Halema`uma`u Crater floor. The most recent sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 700 t/d on June 21, 2013; this value is a minimum because the data were acquired close to the vent where the plume is most dense and challenging to fully characterize. Although not measured this morning, a very small amount of ash-sized tephra (mostly fresh spatter bits and Pele’s hair) was likely carried out of the vent by the plume and deposited onto nearby surfaces.

Seismic tremor levels were low suggesting spattering and gas emissions were nearly continuous. Ten earthquakes were strong enough to be located beneath Kilauea Volcano in the past 24 hours – 1 within the Ka`oiki Pali area, 2 south of the summit caldera, 3 deep quakes beneath the upper east rift zone, 1 well north of the middle east rift zone, and 3 on south flank faults. The recent extension recorded by GPS receivers spanning the summit caldera stalled over the past few days.

Recent Observations at the middle east rift zone vents: The tiltmeter at Pu`u `O`o cone recorded fluctuations over a weak inflationary trend that may be enhanced by rainfall. The GPS line length from the north rim to the south base of Pu`u `O`o cone showed fluctuations without a longer-term trend since mid-May. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 300 tonnes/day on June 17, 2013, from all east rift zone sources; these values have ranged between 150 and 450 t/d in 2013; measurements are made at a greater distance from the sources where the plume is more easily characterized.

Spatter cones on the crater floor of Pu`u `O`o showed their typical incandescence and the northeast spatter cone continued to feed the Kahauale`a II lava flow north of Pu`u `O`o; the June-18 breakout from the Kahauale`a II lava tube high on the NE flank of Pu`u `O`o cone continued to advanced northward over the Kahauale`a II flow. Using a combination of satellite imagery and older mapping on the ground, the most distant front of the Kahaulae`a flow was still about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) due north of Pu`u `O`o, expanding a bit to the east, and still burning forest at the north edge of Pu`u `O`o’s 1983-1986 `a`a flow field. A second active front was still about 1.9 km (1.2 mi) NNW of Pu`u `O`o, expanding to the west, and slowly advancing and also burning the edge of the forest. PNcam views overnight recorded continued activity at the flow fronts burning forest north of Pu`u `O`o.

Southeast of Pu`u `O`o, the Peace Day flow hosted new active breakouts at the base of the pali and continuing scattered breakouts about mid-way across the coastal plain near the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park boundary. Most of the Peace Day flow, however, remained in lava tubes that empty into the ocean in two places – a main entry point, producing a persistent gas plume just east of the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park boundary and a smaller entry point producing a smaller, intermittent gas plume just inside the National Park.

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

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Time-lapse East flank webcam movie of Pu‘u ‘O‘o Crater

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Time-lapse movie of the Peace Day Flow area

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