Current Kilauea Volcano Eruption Update
Current Eruption Status,
Information, and
Photos of
Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
Come visit the most active
Volcano in the World. To see a REAL Volcano is a spectacular
sight. We advise you to always check in at the Visitor Center of the
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to get up to the minute current eruption
updates. The friendly rangers will gladly tell you where to go and how to
view lava safely.
17 July 2008
View into TEB and blankets of paper-thin limu o
Pele at Waikupanaha
Left. The
top of the TEB collapsed in the past week,
permitting a view into the vent for the first
time in several weeks. Lava was rushing from
left to right, in this view, then turning
abruptly toward the top of the photo where it
enters the tube system. Right. Flows in
the past week expanded eastward and consumed
more of the Royal Gardens subdivision. One
house, at lower right, narrowly avoided
destruction, while two more structures, near the
burned trees in the center of the photo, were
buried completely.
Left. The
Waikupanaha plume was more modest today,
illustrating the erratic behavior of the ocean
entry. Shortly after this photo was taken, large
explosions resumed and the plume grew again to
enormous size. Notice the thick haze in the
background. This the volcanic plume from Pu`u `O`o
out of site at upper right.Right. The
frequent littoral explosions at Waikupanaha have
blanketed the down-wind lava surface with
paper-thin limu o Pele fragments. Notice the
abrupt boundary between the brown limu o Pele
fallout and the shiny pahoehoe. Limu o Pele is
composed, basically, of pieces of bubble walls.
It forms when lava bubbles burst and when wind
blows laterally through sheets of molten lava
thrown up during the explosions.
Besides the blanket
of limu of Pele described above, the large
explosions at Waikupanaha have also built a
littoral spatter cone in an arc around the ocean
entry. The cone is not obvious in the photo on
the left due to the oblique angle and shadowing
from the plume. In the infrared (IR) image on
the right, the portion of the littoral cone
built on the beach shows up nicely just below
image center. A small littoral explosion, hidden
by fume in the photo, is apparent just right of
image center in the IR image. The bright dots
scattered around on the littoral cone in the IR
image are hot blobs of recently-ejected spatter.
Visitors are
allowed entry to
the viewing area
every day from 2
p.m., with the
last vehicles
admitted at 8:00
p.m. This will
allow officials
to ensure that
everybody is out
of the area by
10 p.m. The
viewing area is
closed between
10 pm and 2 pm.
This schedule is
subject to
change;
hazardous
conditions may
require changes
to the schedule
or closure.
- click on map
for larger view-
Hawai`i County
Civil Defense
has set up a new
telephone
hotline to
provide daily
updates on
viewing at the
Kalapana Safe
Viewing site.
The lava hotline
phone number is
961-8093,
which lets you
know the lava
viewing hours
for the day
ahead. The lava
hotline
automated
message is
updated every
day at 10 a.m.
The Kalapana
Safe Viewing
program at the
volcanic
eruption site is
a wonderful
natural
attraction, and
the County Civil
Defense Agency
wants all
visitors to
enjoy the
experience in
safety and
comfort.
With that in
mind, we
encourage
visitors to
prepare not only
for sunny days
at the lava
viewing sight
but also for
rain.
Please note that
there are no
shelters at the
site in case of
rain.
For your comfort
and convenience,
please prepare
for rain
keeping in mind
any trip hazard:
·
An umbrella
and/or
·
Windbreaker or
raincoat
Visitors are
also strongly
advised to
take the
following gear
for both safety
and comfort:
·
Bottled water
(2-3 quarts or
liters per
person)
·
Sturdy closed
boots or shoes
and socks
·
Flashlight (1
per person) and
fresh batteries
·
Long pants
·
Sun hat and
sunscreen
·
Binoculars
(optional)
Visitors are
reminded to obey
all the warning
signs and stay
within the
allowed areas to
ensure their
safety. The
newly formed
lava and black
sand beach are
extremely
unstable,
and can collapse
into the ocean
at any time.
Visitors must
stay well away
from the
volcanic steam
clouds which
contain
hydrochloric
acid and glass
particles.
Please note:
There is no cell
phone coverage
in the viewing
area.
We ask that
visitors show
the greatest
courtesy and
respect to
the local
residents and
property owners.
Please remember
never to go off
the road or
trail, and
please dispose
of all trash in
the garbage cans
provided.
Guide/interpreters
will be on hand
in the viewing
area to provide
information and
assistance. For
more
information,
please call
Civil Defense at
935-0031.
For the Hawaiian
Volcanoes
Observatory’s
eruption updates
online, please
click on
http://lavainfo.us/
.
Recent Kilauea Status Reports,
Updates, and Information Releases
HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY
UPDATE Saturday,
July 19, 2008 07:36 HST (Saturday, July 19, 2008 17:36 UTC)
KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW#1302-01-)
19.42°N 155.29°W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
This report on the status of Kilauea volcanic activity, in addition to
maps, photos, and webcam images (available using the menu bar above),
was prepared by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Hawai`i
Volcanoes National Park status can be found at http://www.nps.gov/havo/
or 985-6000. Hawai`i County Viewing Area status can be found at http://www.lavainfo.us
or 961-8093.
Activity Summary for last 24 hours: Kilauea summit is
deflating. Small amounts of ash and elevated amounts of sulfur dioxide
gas continued to issue from the Halema`uma`u vent. At the east rift
eruption site, Pu`u `O`o cone is slowly contracting and incandescence
was observed from the east wall vent; lava flows from the TEB vent
through tubes to the ocean at Waikupanaha; ocean entry explosions
continued.
Last 24 hours at Kilauea summit: Incandescence has been
weak and continuous with no episodic pulsing. A few local earthquakes
caused the vent to dim briefly. During one of the longer dimming events
at 04:25 am, incandescent ejecta could be seen propelled out of the vent
but not reaching Halema`uma`u rim.
A white plume rises from the Halema`uma`u vent and is blown to the
southwest about 200-300 m (650-1,000 ft) above the Ka`u Desert at 6:30
am this morning. The SO2 emission rate remained high and variable; the
most recent average measurement was 700 tonnes/day on July 17 compared
to an average of 800 tonnes/day on July 15 and a pre-2008 background
rate between 150-200 tonnes/day.
Kilauea caldera continued to deflate after the late June inflation. The
summit tiltmeter network recorded 10 microradians of deflation in the
south caldera since July 1; this is the most rapid rate of deflation
since September 2007. GPS receivers on opposite sides of the summit
caldera recorded almost 2 cm of contraction since July 1; this rate is
almost double the rate prior to the late June summit
inflation/extension.
Seismic tremor continued at elevated levels with occasional weak bursts.
The number of RB2S2BL earthquakes beneath Halema`uma`u Crater remain at
background values of about 20/d. One earthquake was located beneath
Halema`uma`u Crater, two on south flank faults, and one beneath the
lower portion of the southwest rift zone.
Last 24 hours at the middle east rift zone vents and flow field:
Magma continued to degas through Pu`u `O`o Crater resulting in an
unusually high emission of 6,300 tonnes/day of sulfur dioxide on July
17, up from 4,800 tonnes/day on July 6 and background values of about
2,000 tonnes/day. Overnight, the webcam recorded diffuse incandescence
from only the east wall vent.
The tiltmeter on the north side of Pu`u `O`o cone recorded minor
oscillations. GPS receivers recorded contraction across the crater.
Seismic tremor levels at the TEB vent/Pu`u `O`o area remain at values
elevated above those in late June.
Lava enters the tube system under the TEB vent and flows beneath the
rootless shield complex through tubes to the ocean. Overnight,
incandescence was observed from the TEB vent and the top of shield 3.
The ocean entry continued to provide spectacular views.
Definitions of terms used in the update:
GOES-WEST satellite: a NOAA satellite used most often for weather
tracking. The loop http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/kilauea/sloop-vis.html
is posted by the Washington DC Volcanic Ash Advisory Center for the
purpose of tracking emissions from Hawai`i volcanoes. The imagery
automatically switches from infrared at night to visual during the day.
Recently, it has been useful for tracking volcanic gas emissions from
Halema`uma`u, Pu`u `O`o, and the Waikupanaha ocean entry during the day
and hot lava flows at night.
Volcano Watch: weekly newspaper-like article written by HVO scientists
on a volcano topic of interest. These articles are usually printed in
the Sunday editions of the Hawai`i Island newspapers Hawaii Tribune
Herald and West Hawaii Today. More than 800 of these articles have been
written and are archived on the HVO website (menu at the bottom of the
homepage hvo.wr.usgs.gov).
VLP seismic tremor: seismic tremor is continuous ground vibrations
simultaneously at many different frequencies. VLP is a very long period
or very low frequency component which, at the Halema`uma`u vent, has a
period of 20-30 seconds or a frequency of 0.03-0.05 cycles per second
(Hertz or Hz).
RB2S2BL earthquakes: earthquakes that were recorded but too small to be
located. These quakes have magnitudes less than 1.7 and may only be
recorded on one or two seismometers. Recording at a minimum of 4
seismometer sites is required to locate an earthquake.
wink: an abrupt shutting off of incandescence at a vent lasting for
several minutes. At the Halema`uma`u vent, winks usually start with or
immediately follow a small, local earthquake. The diminishment of
incandescence is due to the plume changing from translucent to opaque
with rock dust.
tonne: metric unit equal to 1,000 kilograms, 2,204.6 lbs, or 1.1 English
tons.
microradian: a measure of angle equivalent to 0.000057 degrees.
ppm: parts-per-million; 10,000 ppm = 1 %.
littoral cone: usually small cones built near active ocean entries; the
cones are constructed of tephra from steam explosions that are sometimes
produced when 1,150 degree C lava enters the 25 degree C ocean.
incandescence: the production of visible light from a hot surface. The
color of the light is related to the temperature of the surface. Some
surfaces can display dull red incandescence at temperatures as low as
430 degrees Centigrade (806 degrees Fahrenheit). By contrast, molten
lava displays bright orange to orange-yellow light from surfaces that
are hotter than 900 degrees C (1,650 degrees F).
tephra: all material deposited by fallout from an eruption-related
plume, regardless of size.
ash: tephra less than 2 mm (5/64 inches) in size.
TEB: Thanksgiving Eve Breakout, the designation used for lava flows that
started with a breakout on November 21, 2007.
DI tilt event: DI is an abbreviation for 'deflation-inflation' and
describes a volcanic event of uncertain significance. DI events are
recorded by tiltmeters at Kilauea summit as an abrupt deflation of up to
a few microradians in magnitude lasting several hours to 2-3 days
followed by an abrupt inflation of approximately equal magnitude. The
tilt events are usually accompanied by an increase in summit tremor
during the deflation phase. A careful analysis of these events suggests
that they may be related to changes in magma supply to a storage
reservoir at less than 1 km depth, just east of Halema`uma`u crater.
Usually, though not always, these changes propagate through the magma
conduit from the summit to the eruption site, as many of the DI events
at Kilauea summit are also recorded at a tiltmeter at Pu`u `O`o, delayed
by 1-2 hours. DI events often correlate with lava pulses and/or pauses
in the eruption at the Pu`u `O`o/July 21/TEB vents.
Maps, photos, webcam views, and other information about Kilauea Volcano
are available at http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/kilaueastatus.php. A daily
update summary is available by phone at (808) 967-8862.
A map with details of earthquakes located within the past two weeks can
be found at http://tux.wr.usgs.gov/
A definition of alert levels can be found at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/2006/warnschemes.html
Volcano
Gallery, P.O.
Box 699, Volcano Village, Big Island of Hawaii (Hawaii) 96785
Phone ( Local / Int'l) 808-967-8617 Toll-Free ( USA)
800-908-9764 Email
Us
last edited:
August 03, 2008 -
Copyright 1998-2005, Volcano Gallery,
Div. of Rainbow Moon Volcano, Hawaii - All rights reserved
-
*Not responsible for
typographical errors. Rates / Prices subject to change without
notice.
We reserve to right to refuse service at our discretion Broken Link?
Problems? Please email
webmaster
This website created and maintained by
Arnopole & Associates,
Volcano Hawaii
