Southeast lava flow from Puʻu ʻŌʻō continues to advance


The lava flow southeast of Pu‘u ‘O‘o continues to advance downslope; and reached the base of the pali yesterday. The leading portion of the flow still consists of narrow channelized ‘a‘a streaming down the steep part of the pali. The flow front advance has slowed over the past day, with the front spreading out as it reaches the start of the coastal plain. Video taken Thursday, June 30, 2016 courtesy of USGS/HVO

Activity update from USGS/HVO for Friday, July 1, 2016

Eruptions continue at Kīlauea Volcano’s summit and East Rift Zone. The lava flow to the southeast of Puʻu ʻŌʻō continues to advance and does not pose a threat to nearby communities. The lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu Crater continues to circulate and spatter, and the lake level rose several meters (yards) during the past 24 hours. Low rates of seismicity are observed across the volcano.

Summit Observations: Tiltmeters at the summit recorded an inflationary trend during the past 24 hours, and the level of the summit lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu rose by about 6 m (20 ft). This morning the lava level is about 34 m (112 ft) below the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater floor. Low rates of seismicity in the summit caldera region are noted, with minor fluctuations in seismic tremor related to variations in lava lake circulation and spattering. Sulfur dioxide emissions from the summit vent over the past week ranged from 3,500 to 6,400 metric tons/day.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Observations: HVO webcams show several incandescent vents on the floor of Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater, as usual. There are no significant changes in seismic activity at Puʻu ʻŌʻō. A tiltmeter on the north flank of Puʻu ʻŌʻō has recorded very little change during the past few days. Sulfur dioxide emission rate from all East Rift Zone vents when last measured on June 27 was about 320 metric tons/day.

Lava Flow Observations: The active lava flow southeast of Puʻu ʻŌʻō continued to advance during the past day. Geologists reported yesterday afternoon that the flow front was about 150 m beyond the base of the pali along the western boundary of the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision. The flow is about 7.6 km (4.7 miles) long as measured along the axis of the tube. Bright incandescence is visible in the overnight webcam views of the active lava flow field, marking lava tube skylights and activity near the flow front.

The County of Hawaii has opened the Kalapana emergency road for visitors to hike on to view the lava flow.

This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow field. The area of the active flow field as of June 28 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as mapped on June 30 is shown in red. Older Puʻu ʻŌʻō lava flows (1983–2016) are shown in gray.

This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow field. The area of the active flow field as of June 28 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as mapped on June 30 is shown in red. Older Puʻu ʻŌʻō lava flows (1983–2016) are shown in gray.

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