Surface flows remain active on the pali and coastal plain, but have not made significant progress towards the ocean. On a Sunday (Aug 26) field visit, the closest flows to the ocean were about 2 km (1.2 miles) from the water. This image shows a pāhoehoe breakout at the flow front, with a rigid ropy section of crust being carried forward by the flowing lava beneath it. In the background, the forested areas on the pali are some of the last remaining uncovered portions of Royal Gardens subdivision. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO

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Time-lapse thermal image movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent

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

A lava lake within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent resulted in night-time glow that was visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook and by HVO’s Webcam during the past week. Deflation started last Sunday (August 26) and was ongoing as of this writing (Thursday, August 30). The lava lake level dropped slowly in response, removing support for the rim of the lake which, in turn, led to several collapses of the vent walls. Occasional rise-fall cycles caused the lava level to rise slightly for periods of hours, even as its overall level was dropping.

On Kilauea’s east rift zone, lava flows on the coastal plain and pali, relatively weak for months, declined in activity even further with the ongoing deflation. Little surface activity remained as of Thursday, and the flows may stop completely if deflation continues. The level of the small lava pond in the northeastern pit on the floor of Pu`u `O`o dropped with the deflation. Poor weather during a helicopter overflight on Wednesday prevented views into the pit to assess the distance of the pond below the crater floor. A second pit, on the south side of the crater, enlarged dramatically before sunrise on Thursday, when the crater floor between the pit and the adjacent incandescent opening collapsed. The ongoing deflation may lead to more small collapses, causing additional widening of the pits.

One earthquake was reported felt in the last week below the island of Hawai`i. On August 25, 2012, at 2:25 a.m., HST, a magnitude-3.9 earthquake occurred and was located 18 km (11 mi) southeast of Na`alehu at a depth of 38 km (24 miles).

Visit the HVO Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed 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 of Peace Day flow and pali