A closer view of the lava pond in the northeast portion of PuÊ»u ʻŌʻŠcrater Monday (April 7, 2014). The lava pond has partially closed over the past several weeks, and today was about 5 meters (yards) in diameter – about half of the diameter from two weeks ago. The pond was spattering, with small bits of airborne spatter visible in this photograph. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO
A view of Puʻu ʻŌʻŠcrater from the north, looking southeast. In the foreground, the crater rim has red hues due to oxidized cinder and spatter from the early days of Puʻu ʻŌʻŠin the 1980s. In the center of the photograph, the black crater floor consists of lava flows erupted in the last several years, with several spatter cones built upon these flows. Near the left edge of the photograph, a small perched lava pond has been active in recent months. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO
Tuesday, April 8, 2014 update from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Images from USGS/Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
A comparison of a thermal image (left) with a normal photograph (right) of the KahaualeÊ»a 2 flow front. Brighter colors in the thermal image depict hotter surface temperatures, with white and yellow areas showing active pÄhoehoe breakouts. These breakouts are distributed in a scattered fashion across this portion of the flow field. The vent for the KahaualeÊ»a 2 flow is on PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ, visible in the upper left of the photograph. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO
The eruption of Kīlauea continues at two vents. One at the summit of Kīlauea within Halema‘uma‘u Crater and the other on the east rift zone, 10 miles east of the summit. Flowing lava is not accessible by foot or by car. No lava is flowing into or towards the ocean.
Fumes and glow from the summit vent may be seen from the overlook at Jaggar Museum, and other vantage points at the summit of Kīlauea that provide views of Halema‘uma‘u Crater.
During the day a robust plume of volcanic gas is a constant and dramatic reminder of the molten rock churning in a lava lake within the crater. After sunset, Halema‘uma‘u continues to thrill visitors and park staff with a vivid glow that illuminates the clouds and plume as it billows into the night sky.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park rangers are on duty at the Jaggar Museum to assist the many visitors drawn to Halema‘uma‘u, which has been erupting consistently within the crater since March 2008.
The KahaualeÊ»a 2 flow remains active, with scattered pÄhoehoe breakouts driving slow advancement of the flow field through the forest Monday (April 7, 2014). Breakouts at the flow margins trigger forest fires, and numerous plumes of smoke. Today, the flow front was 8.2 km (5.1 miles) northeast of the vent on PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO
Map showing the Kahaualeʻa 2 flow in relation to the eastern part of the Big Island as of April 7, 2014. The active front of the Kahaualeʻa 2 flow was 8.2 km (5.1 miles) northeast of Puʻu ʻŌʻŠand advancing very slowly through thick forest. The area of the Kahaualeʻa 2 flow as of March 21 is shown in pink, while widening of the flow since then is shown in red. Older lava flows are distinguished by color: episodes 1–48b flows (1983–1986) are shown in gray; episodes 48c–49 flows (1986–1992) are pale yellow; episodes 50–55 flows (1992–2007) are tan; episodes 58–60 flows (2007–2011) are pale orange, and episode 61 flows (2011–2013) are reddish orange. The active lava tube is shown with a yellow line (dashed where its position is poorly known).
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