Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for January 21, 2016
Posted on January 21, 2016. Tags: halemaumau, hvo, kilauea, lava, Pu‘u ‘O‘o, usgs, volcano, volcano watch
Scattered breakouts remain active northeast of PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ, with the farthest active lava today at 5.9 km (3.7 miles) distance from the vent on PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ. Much of the activity is at or near the forest boundary, creating numerous areas of burning. This view looks southwest, with PuÊ»u ʻŌʻŠvisible in the upper left portion of the image. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
A closer view of PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ, just above the center point of the photograph. View is towards the southwest. In the foreground, the circular lava pond that was active in July 2014 is visible. The lava tube feeding the active flows on the June 27th lava flow is evident by the line of white fume sources extending off the right side of the photograph. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
Viewing conditions into Puʻu ʻŌʻŠCrater were exceptional today, providing clear views of the crater floor. This view is towards the northwest. The inner, deeper crater formed in mid-2014 following the opening of the June 27th vent, and occasional small flows on the crater floor are evident by their dark color. The smaller, circular pit in the west portion of the crater has contained a small, active lava pond in recent months. Very little of the original cone, formed in the early part of the Puʻu ʻŌʻŠeruption in the mid-1980s, remains visible on the surface. The tan colored area in the foreground, and the brown sections of the crater rim in the upper part of the photograph, are the original portions of the cone and consist of cinder and scoria. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
This photograph was taken from the western pit at PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ, and shows the small lava pond (roughly 20 m in diameter) contained within the pit. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
Incandescence was visible in the small pit that formed recently on the upper northeast flank of PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
Colorful sulfur deposits have formed recently around one of the cracks on the floor of Puʻu ʻŌʻŠCrater. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
A view of the western portion of PuÊ»u ʻŌʻŠCrater, with the small circular pit that contains the active lava pond. HVO’s cameras are on the rim at the right side of the photograph. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
A hornito has recently formed over the lava tube on the north flank of PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ, at the spot of the breakout that occurred on November 25. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
An HVO geologist collects spatter deposited around the base of the hornito for geochemical analysis. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO
Time-lapse thermal image movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent. January 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO
Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent. January 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO
Time-lapse movie of Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook Vent from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. January 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO
Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau Crater looking Southwest. January 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Time-lapse movie of KÄ«lauea Caldera from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. January 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO
(Activity updates are written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)
KÄ«lauea continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. During the past week, the summit lava lake level varied between about 34 and 43 m (110–140 ft) below the vent rim within Halema‘uma‘u Crater. On the East Rift Zone, scattered lava flow activity remained within about 6 km (4 mi) of PuÊ»u ʻŌʻÅ, and is not currently threatening nearby communities.
Mauna Loa is not erupting. Seismicity remains elevated above long term background levels. GPS measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of magma reservoirs beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa.
One earthquake was reported felt on the Island of Hawai‘i during the past week. On Monday, January 18, at 1:52 a.m., HST, a magnitude-3.9 earthquake occurred 6.7 km (4.1 mi) north of the Mauna Loa summit at a depth of 12.0 km (7.5 mi).
Time-lapse multi-image movie of Pu’u ‘O’o Crater. January 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO
Time-lapse movie from images gathered from a temporary thermal camera looking into Pu’u ‘O’o Crater. The temperature scale is in degrees Celsius up to a maximum of 500 Celsius (932 Fahrenheit) for this camera model, and scales based on the maximum and minimum temperatures within the frame. Thick fume, image pixel size and other factors often result in image temperatures being lower than actual surface temperatures. January 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO
Time-lapse movie of Pu’u ‘O’o Crater North Flank from the North Rim. January 14-21, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO
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