Categorized | Featured, Gallery, Sci-Tech, Videos, Volcano

Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for February 2, 2017

UPDATE: Sea Cliff collapses into the ocean at Kamokuna Ocean Entry


The section of sea cliff above the ocean entry collapsed Thursday (Feb 2) at about 12:55 p.m. The sea cliff had become increasingly unstable as a large crack 5–10 m (16–33 ft) inland of the ocean entry had more than doubled in width, from 30 cm (1 ft) to 70 cm (2.5 ft), over the past several days. A video camera, which had just been set up to monitor movement of the crack near the sea cliff, captured the moment of collapse. Video taken Thursday, February 2, 2017 courtesy of USGS/HVO


 


The open lava stream at the ocean entry, and the frequent littoral explosions. Video courtesy USGS/HVO.


Time-lapse thermal image movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent. January 26-February 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO


Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent. January 26-February 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO


Time-lapse movie of Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook Vent from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. January 26-February 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO


Time-lapse movie of KÄ«lauea Caldera from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. January 26-February 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO


Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau Crater looking Southwest. January 26-February 2, 2017. Images courtesy of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

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

Kīlauea continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. This past week, the summit lava lake level varied between about 13 and 23 m (43–75 ft) below the vent rim. The 61g flow was still active, with lava entering the ocean near Kamokuna and surface breakouts near Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The sea cliff adjacent to the Kamokuna ocean entry has become highly unstable and could collapse with no warning. The 61g flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. During the past week, small-magnitude (up to magnitude-3.0) earthquakes continued, primarily beneath the upper Southwest Rift Zone and the Northeast Rift zone at depths less than 5 km (3 mi). A small number of earthquakes also occurred on the west flank of the volcano at depths above 13 km (8 mi). Measurements at a fumarole site within the summit caldera showed an increase in temperature during the first half of January, but relatively steady fumarole temperatures were measured over the past week. There was no significant change in sulfur dioxide or carbon dioxide concentrations in the volcanic gas emissions.

Two earthquakes were reported felt in Hawaii this past week. On January 31, 2017, at 10:45 p.m., HST, a magnitude-3.7 earthquake occurred 62.3 km (38.7 mi) southwest of Makena, Maui, at a depth of 36 km (22 mi). On January 26, at 10:16:32 p.m., HST, a magnitude-3.1 earthquake occurred 5.6 km (3.5 mi) southwest of Mauna Loa’s summit, Hawaiʻi, at a depth of 3 km (2 mi).

Please visit the HVO website (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for past Volcano Watch articles, KÄ«lauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, recent earthquakes info, and more; call for summary updates at 808-967-8862 (KÄ«lauea) or 808-967-8866 (Mauna Loa); email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.


Time-lapse image movie from a research camera positioned on Holei Pali, looking east towards Lava Flow 61G and Kalapana. January 26-February 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO


Time-lapse multi-image movie of Mokuʻāweoweo Caldera from the Northwest Rim on Mauna Loa. January 26-February 2, 2017. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

Leave a Reply

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

 

Quantcast