LavaTalk: Kilauea Volcano status for Sunday (Oct 2)

Sunday, October 2, 2016 U.S. Geological Survey/Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

Kilauea Volcano Status

Activity Summary: Kīlauea Volcano continues to erupt at its summit and at the Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent on its East Rift Zone. Summit tilt is flat. The lava lake surface was 13 m (43 ft) below the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater Saturday evening. The 61G lava flow continues to flow into the sea at Kamokuna. The flow poses no threat to nearby communities.

Summit Observations: Summit tiltmeters recorded no net tilt in the past day. The lava lake surface has continued to be very high within the Overlook vent, and as of Saturday evening the lake level stood 13 m (43 ft) below the rim of the Overlook Vent. Spattering from the lake surface continues to be visible by webcams located in the HVO observation tower and from the Jaggar Overlook during clear weather conditions. Webcam views of the lava lake can be found at the following webpage: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cams/region_kism.php.

Summit seismicity is at typical levels this morning while volcanic tremor amplitudes continued to fluctuate in association with lava lake spattering. Average daily summit sulfur dioxide emission rates ranged from 4000 to 6800 metric tons/day over the past week. GPS and InSAR data have recorded a long-term inflationary trend of the summit magma reservoir complex since 2010.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Observations: No significant changes are visible on webcam images, with persistent glow continuing at long-term sources within the crater. HVO fieldworkers at Puʻu ʻŌʻō Friday reported no significant changes since the last visit a couple of weeks ago. A tiltmeter on the north flank of Puʻu ʻŌʻō has recorded no significant tilt in the past 48 hours. The sulfur dioxide emission rate from all East Rift Zone vents was about 310 metric tons/day when last measured on September 26.

Lava Flow Observations: The 61g lava flow, extending southeast from PuÊ»u ʻŌʻō on KÄ«lauea’s south flank continues to supply lava to the ocean at Kamokuna. The easternmost of the coastal entries was active Friday and the western one, inactive. Active breakouts occurred on the coastal plain about 2 km (1.2 mi) inland from ocean entry during the past week. Friday’s HVO field crew, however, reported that the breakouts were very sluggish and that this inland activity appeared to be dying out.

As a strong caution to visitors viewing the 61g flow ocean entry (where lava meets the sea), there are additional significant hazards besides walking on uneven surfaces and around unstable, extremely steep sea cliffs. Venturing too close to an ocean entry exposes you to flying debris created by the explosive interaction between lava and water. Also, the new land created is unstable because it is built on unconsolidated lava fragments and sand. This loose material can easily be eroded away by surf, causing the new land to become unsupported and slide into the sea. In several instances, such collapses, once started, have also incorporated parts of the older sea cliff. Finally, the interaction of lava with the ocean creates a corrosive seawater plume laden with hydrochloric acid and fine volcanic particles that can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs.

Please see these fact sheets for additional information:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs152-00/

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