By David Corrigan and Stephanie Salazar

[Video courtesy USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory]

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii: January is Volcano Awareness Month on Hawaii Island and 2012 also marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

So why not share some of the latest mesmerizing lava lake video, from the fiery pit of Halemau’ma’u on the summit of Kilauea.

This footage shows vigorous spattering along the south margin of the Halema`uma`u lava lake. Lava is upwelling in the northern portion of the lake which is out of view, and slowly migrates to this southern margin where it sinks back into the conduit.

According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s Kilauea status report for Thursday the spattering sink on the southeastern edge of lake continued building a small spatter rampart and feeding very small lava flows on the inner ledge. The lava level is estimated to be 260 feet below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater.

The HVO also says the most recent sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 1,500 tonnes per day on January 22… new measurements must await the return of moderate trade winds, scientists say.

By David Corrigan and Stephanie Salazar

[Video by David Corrigan]

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii: Sunday’s series of minor earthquakes happened in roughly the same region where the day before, some of the United State’s Geological Survey’s top scientists were gathered in celebration.

This weekend was the official open house in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Thomas A. Jaggar, Jr., arrived on Kilauea and took over the continuous study of Hawaii’s active volcanoes on January 17, 1912 — the date is often noted as the founding of HVO, America’s first volcano observatory.

Located on the rim of the Kīlauea Volcano’s summit caldera next to Jaggar Museum in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the observatory is usually closed to the public.

But on January 21, the observatory was open for public tours, with special exhibits and demonstrations. The National Park Service granted free admission to the park in honor of the obervatory’s centennial.

Strong wind gusts blustered during the opening remarks, as dignitaries from across the country paid homage to the work done by observatory geologists, past and present…

Then, once the maile lei was untied, it was time for the tour.

Scientists showed the public around the numerous rooms where computers and seismic equipment monitor the active volcano every minute of the day.

The public even got a chance to see the view from above… a look out over the caldera from the observation tower.

The U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water & Science, Anne Castle, was on hand for the day’s events. She spoke to Big Island Video News about the important resource that is the observatory.

It wasnt just scientists and curious adults getting into the centennial spirit. An HVO hosted a poster contest for Hawaii Island 4th grade students was also held. The Grand Prize poster, rendered by Waiakeawaena Elementary School student Jyron Young, as well as other winning posters were displayed at HVO’s open house. Winning students were also honored on the same day, and given prizes for their work. All posters entered in the contest will be displayed at KTA stores in Hilo, Kamuela, and Kailua until February 10.

By David Corrigan and Stephanie Salazar

[Video courtesy Lava Ocean Adventures and Ken Haller]

ROYAL GARDENS, Hawaii: With the latest lava flow through the Royal Gardens, all eyes are once again on the subdivision’s last remaining resident.

Jack Thompson operates the Lava House bed and breakfast from his home, which somehow still stands while the rest of surrounding neighborhood has been buried in lava.

Its no easy task getting to his house when most roads in and out of the area have been decimated,

Tourist helicopters often drop visitors off at his place for a look around…

… and sometimes, Thompson hitches a ride to town on a helicopter himself…

Now it looks like the county is getting a little more strict on this practise.

Peter Sur of the Hawaii Tribune-Herald recently reported that the County Planning Department is asking to Thompson to do an environmental assessment in order for him to obtain a permitted landing area on his property.

An environmental assessment is an expensive and time consuming process.

Apparently, the bed and breakfast that Thompson has operated for years is also not permitted, according to the county.

By David Corrigan, Leigh Hilbert, and Stephanie Salazar

[Video by Liegh Hilbert, Hawaiian Lava Daily and Bo Lozoff, Lava Lover Bo]

ROYAL GARDENS, Hawaii: Rushing lava from the East Rift Zone of Kilauea volcano has returned to the Royal Gardens subdivision, and already the intrepid lava lovers are making the dangerous hike to witness the spectacle.

Folks like Bo Lozoff, who lives in Kalapana Gardens – no stranger to the many lava flows that come down the pali over the years – who shot this video from the desolate and devastated neighborhood.

If it look like this lava fanatic has been missing his up close encounters with lava, that’s probably true… there hasn’t been an active lava flow on the coastal plain since the Kamoamoa fissure eruption in March 2011.

Leigh Hilbert, a professional lava photographer who has shared some of the most remarkable images of last year’s Kalapana flow, was also on hand… he says rivers of lava have already severed access to the remaining kipuka, and to Jack Thompson’s home – the famous Lava House bed and breakfast and the last inhabited home remaining in Royal Gardens.

Hilberts says a chopper came to take Jack off his property and out of the lava zone at 5:30 PM Sunday.

Later news reports said Thompson was simply hitching a ride to a dentist appointment.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists continue to monitor the activity. The following is from the daily Kilauea activity report, updated at least every 24 hours:

Lava continued to erupt into the perched pond in the east part of the Pu`u `O`o crater until just past midnight, shortly after the tiltmeter on the north flank showed a small deflation trend; the tilt is relatively flat this morning and is not following the DI pattern recorded at the summit. Lava continues to enter the tube system on the northeast flank of Pu`u `O`o; the tube system turns to the southeast 0.5 km and again at 2 km downslope. Seismic tremor levels near Pu`u `O`o were low. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 500 tonnes/day on December 6, 2011, from all east rift zone sources.

Glow from the fissure and a skylight on the southeast flank of Pu`u `O`o continued to be visible in webcam views.

A new webcam on the coastal plain (not avialable on the public Web site) shows that lava flows are active this morning through the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision 6.8 km (4.2 mi) southeast of Pu`u `O`o and on the coastal plain. The flows advanced about 0.6 km from the base of the pali by yesterday mid-morning, and they continued advancing overnight.

Video produced by David Corrigan and Tim Bryan, additional video courtesy USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, National Park Service, and Mick Kalber

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii: Recently, we took a look back at the Kamoamoa fissure eruption on the east rift of Hawaii’s active Kilauea volcano, half a year after its short-lived show captivated the world.

On March 5th, the steady eruption at Kilauea volcano changed, after an incredible fissure tore the earth open on the middle east rift zone.

Before that moment, the public had known the eruption through its summit lava lake, an active ocean entry at Kalapana, and a restless Puu Oo crater in between.

Homes in the Kalapana Gardens subdivision were on alert, but when earthquakes on the rift zone began to rattle the area continually, it looked like a change was on the horizon.

There were several months of earthquakes, actually”, said Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge, Jim Kauahikaua (photo above right), six months after the event. ”Decent sized ones like magnitude 3 or so. But really, the sign that something started was the tilt. We have all most of important data streams alarmed so we get text messages or emails or something… one of our data streams is hooked up to an automatic dialer so it will call our phones in case the internet doesn’t work or something.”

“We all know what our jobs are”, said Kauahikaua. “Once everybody hears that an event is going on, we all look at our various data streams… the first thing that happened was that deflation tiltmeter on the north flank… and that kind of alerts you to look at the camera and see the floor’s kind of dropping out.”

A first hand account was published in a HVO Volcano Watch article shortly after the four day episode concluded:

HVO scientists were shaken out of their weekend routine when, at 1:42 p.m., on Saturday, March 5, 2011, the seismic tremor alarms started and, at 2:16 p.m., the floor of Pu`u `O`o crater began to collapse. A rapidly dispatched HVO overflight saw fountaining just west of Pu`u `O`o, beginning around 5:00 p.m. Then darkness fell, and the only way to observe what would happen next was to make the long hike out to the eruption site on foot. HVO’s Scientist-in-Charge decided that a small group of scientists, including me, should make that journey.

At 7:00 p.m., our group began hiking east from the Mauna Ulu parking lot, with headlamps illuminating the trail. The going was slow as we cast our beams ahead to find each successive ahu (rock cairn). Orange glow from the lava fountains in the distance provided a nighttime beacon.

The nine-mile hike took us past Mauna Ulu, then Makaopuhi Crater, through Napau Crater and across the cinder fields to the east. By this point, the glow was muted, and we came upon a cooling lava flow field devoid of any fountaining. Glow in the cracks, scattered brush fires, and several new steaming fissures testified to the recent activity, but otherwise it was disappointingly quiet.

After a time, we called in our report and started hiking back home. At 12:30 a.m. we reached Napau campsite and paused for a drink. Suddenly, we heard loud gas jetting through the trees, and the night sky to our east was lit up in brilliant orange.

From the western rim of Napau Crater, we could see that activity had resumed at the eruption site. A spectacular line of fountains, reaching above tree level, played for an hour, then rapidly died. We waited at the edge of Napau, huddled under tarps in the cold, for several hours to see what would happen next.

By 4:30 a.m., fountaining at the eruption site had resumed, and, within an hour, we were again at the eruption site. A cone had already been built, and small “strombolian” explosions were occurring in the cone’s crater. Strombolian activity, named after Stromboli Volcano in Italy, is characterized by small, pulsating explosions that are gas rich, with relatively sparse particles.

Observing from a safe distance, we recorded GPS position and ejecta height. The sight was eerie, with roaring lava bubbles bursting and casting incandescent particles in the darkness. Suddenly, a loud sound from the west started behind us, where we had just come from. Once again, gas jetting and bright glow alerted us to a new fissure. Now, unsettlingly, we had activity to the east and west of us.

We rapidly headed west to observe the new fountaining, as well as to ensure a safe escape route. Fortunately, the fountaining was well south of the trail. It consisted of a 100-m (330 ft) long line of fountains, with ejecta reaching 20 m (66 ft) in height.

At daybreak, the sky was lavender with sunrise and lava fountains continued to play at the western fissure in incandescent hues of red, orange and yellow. They fed a rapid lava flow that cascaded for several hours into a seemingly bottomless crack.

During the peak of activity, large clots of lava spatter were thrown 30 m (100 ft) into the air, building spatter ramparts around the base of the fountain. Gas-rushing and jetting sounds combined with the slapping and pounding of spatter as it hit the ground. Every hour we radioed the observatory with activity reports.

The eruption site was soon occupied by other busy HVO scientists conducting lava sampling and tracking gas chemistry to discern whether old or new magma fed the eruption. Others measured ground deformation to get a sense of the size of the dike feeding the eruption. Throughout the day, the vigor of the fountaining fluctuated and, more interestingly, moved back and forth across the fissure system. By afternoon, our water and energy were spent, and we headed back to HVO to file our reports.

A Webcam installed that day permitted HVO scientists to monitor the eruption site from the observatory, though fieldwork continued in subsequent days. Fountaining eventually ceased on Wednesday, March 9, and the Kamoamoa fissure eruption—amazing as it was—had ended.

PHOTO, above right: An early morning view of the fountaining we encountered at the western fissure on Sunday, March 6, at 7:20 a.m. Particles were thrown up to 15 m (50 ft) high at this point and the intensity and height increased over the next two hours.

When the first video of the March 5th Kamoamoa fissure was released, the world got a glimpse of the potential power of Kilauea, commonly known for its relatively peaceful eruption.

As geophysicist Mike Poland explained at a recent After Dark at the Park talk at the national park, this video captured by a heroic Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist was nearly more than was bargained for.

“So we sent out this geologist in this helicopter”, Poland told the crowd at the Kilauea Visitor Center. “And he overflew Pu’u O’o and he noticed that ‘yeah’ that cater floor is gone. But he didn’t notice anything else on his first pass.And then he was over Pu’u O’o and he and the pilot looked over their shoulders a little bit up the rift… and they saw a fissure eruption that had just started. So what did they do? Like any good geologist, he landed… and he took a video.”

The crowd gasped as they watched the video of a widening fissure crack, spewing lava, crumble away towards the filming geologist, who held his shot until it was obvious that it was time to run for his life.

The first journalist to capture the images of the Kamoamoa eruption: vulcanographer Mick Kalber… who brought the world this defining footage.

If video like this is still a thrill for a volcano veteran like Kalber, imagine what Marco Ernandes thought… seen here, flying this helicopter in the foreground. It was Ernandes’ first charter flight in Hawaiian volcano!

“Everybody was pretty happy for me to have that happen on my first day,” Ernandes told Big Island Video News in a phone interview.

That wouldn’t be Marco’s last look at a major eruptive event… He took Kalber up in the helicopter once again, a few months later, to help capture the comparable Puu Oo vent breakout in August.

With the incredible fissure eruption on the east rift zone, attention was diverted from Kailuea’s usual show at the summit.

But when the lava lake at Halemaumau drained away, some recalled the worst-case concerns of an explosive eruption. The disappearance was similar to the accounts of a lava lake draining in 1924 that resulted the violent summit event that killed one person and doubled the width of Halemaumau.

Or worse… the 1790 explosion that is believed to have killed over 80 Hawaiians travelling miles away.

Scientists say that thankfully, the events were different in a very important way.

A recent USGS HVO Volcano Watch article tackled the issue:

Geologists think that the explosive eruptions resulted as ground water entered the hot conduit emptied by the draining lava. The water was heated to steam but couldn’t escape passively, because rock-fall debris formed a pressure seal. Steam pressure had to build before it could explode through the seal. Unknown then was how deep the ground water was.

For more information about these dramatic events, see three articles on HVO’s Web site: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/1999/99_04_01.html, http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/1999/99_05_06.html, and http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/archive/2001_05_18.html

Now to March 5, 2011. Lava drained rapidly from the pit along the southeastern edge of Halema`uma`u. An intrusion (and eruption) took place on the middle east rift zone between Napau and Pu`u `O`o. Rock falls occurred from the walls of the emptying pit. In these ways—though faster and on a smaller scale—the events of 2011 resembled those of 1924.

Research since 1924 shows that the water table, below which rocks are saturated with water, is about 500 m (1,600 feet) under the present caldera floor. If lava were to drain below that depth, models suggest that ground water would enter the conduit and potentially trigger steam-driven explosions.

The depth from the caldera floor to the point where lava disappeared on March 9-10 was about 305 m (1,000 feet), 60 percent of the way to the water table. We don’t think the lava dropped much farther, though, because sounds of gas escaping the lava could be heard from the rim of Halema`uma`u, even when lava couldn’t be seen. On March 14, lava reappeared in the pit, accompanying summit inflation and ending the draining.

Aside from the lack of explosive eruptions this time, how did the 1924 and 2011 draining episodes differ? Perhaps the most important difference was that the crater’s floor collapsed in 1924, whereas only liquid drained in 2011, with relatively small rock falls from the walls of the pit and no floor collapse. In fact, a nearly flat platform, once drowned by lava, reappeared in the pit during the March draining and did not drop down in the next several days. Aside from the expected rock falls from the vertical and overhanging walls, the rest of the pit maintained its integrity pretty well.

These differences probably relate to scale. In 1924, a much larger volume of magma left the summit reservoir, and wholesale collapse was the outcome. Summit deflation in 2011 and the volume of lava that drained from the pit were small, by comparison, and no collapse took place.

Ironically, the narrow feeding conduit exposed by the 2011 draining probably increased the chance of another kind of explosion—one driven by gas escaping from the lava but trapped beneath rock-fall debris. Such debris could have choked the conduit, forcing gas to pressurize before breaking through. It didn’t happen this time, but something similar took place on March 19, 2008, when the first explosion since 1924 ushered in the ongoing Halema`uma`u eruption.

We are living in an uncertain time at Kilauea, but not a very explosive one. To hear about what one of those is like, come to the After Dark in the Park lecture on April 5 concerning the explosive eruption of 1790, the largest in the past 1,000 years.

Now that 6 months has passed, what do scientists have to say about the spectacular Kamoamoa fissure eruption?

If you are scientist in charge, Jim Kauahikaua… one word might be “cool”

“That one was cool…” said Jim, “I was out there in ’97 when the previous one occurred in that area… and that was only a little less than 24 hours. This one went on for four days. And that was part of the coolness, because we kinda knew what had happened in ’97, and we were right on it with the Kamoamoa fissure doing the mapping and sampling …. we really got a good data set.”

Data that, as geophysicist Mike Poland says, helps define what appears to be a definite pattern at Puu oo.

“One of my colleagues actually described this as the east rift zone had a conduit aneurysm”, said Polland. “We’re still sticking magma into Kilauea, and its go to go somewhere. And right now its filling Pu’u O’o. I said this a few times, and Im not afraid to say it again… this is only gonna end one way.”

Promising that the show is far from over at Kilauea Volcano.

Produced by David Corrigan and Tim Bryan

This week, we take a look back at the Kamoamoa fissure eruption, half a year after its short-lived show captivated the world.

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii: 6 months ago today, the steady eruption at Kilauea volcano changed after an incredible fissure tore the earth open on the middle east rift zone.

Before that moment, the public had known the current eruption through its summit lava lake, an active ocean entry at Kalapana, and a restless Pu’u O’o crater in between.

Homes in the Kalapana Gardens subdivision were on alert. But when earthquakes on the rift zone began to rattle the area continually, it looked like a change was on the horizon.

“There were several months of earthquakes, actually”, said Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge, Jim Kauahikaua (photo above right), six months after the event. ”Decent sized ones like magnitude 3 or so. But really, the sign that something started was the tilt. We have all most of important data streams alarmed so we get text messages or emails or something… one of our data streams is hooked up to an automatic dialer so it will call our phones in case the internet doesn’t work or something.”

“We all know what our jobs are”, said Kauahikaua. “Once everybody hears that an event is going on, we all look at our various data streams… the first thing that happened was that deflation tiltmeter on the north flank… and that kind of alerts you to look at the camera and see the floor’s kind of dropping out.”

Tomorrow… the story of behind the first video to come in from this new, and dangerous landscape.

March 7, 2011 – VIDEO: Timeline of Kamoamoa fissure eruption

It was a historic weekend on Kilauea Volcano, as the current eruption made a sudden, dramatic change.

Video courtesy USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory | Voice of Stephanie Salazar

As we reported on Monday, the activity at the Pu’u O’o vent breakout may have slowed, but it is far from stopped.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists say the west flank vents remained active, feeding an elongate perched lava pond that extends to the southwest, which, in turn, fed a large `a`a flow that had advanced nearly to the west edge of the August 3rd lavas.

This overflight video taken by scientists on Monday shows there are several vents, topped by spatter cones – one a high as 20 feet – that are feeding narrow, fast-moving flows that feed into a broad area of ponded lava.

The active flows remained entirely within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and posed no direct hazard to any developed areas.

From the USGS-HVO August 10th Kilauea status update, the most recent information on the east rift zone eruption:

Lava continued to trickle into the deepest part of the collapsed crater floor; a new source on the south side of the collapsed floor joined the trickle and began to spatter weakly yesterday evening. The west flank vents remained active feeding an elongate perched lava pond that extended to the southwest (see images; yesterday, the west flank vents also fed a small flow which advanced a short distance northward before stalling yesterday evening. The active flows remained entirely within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and posed no direct hazard to any developed areas.

The GPS network around Pu`u `O`o Cone recorded slowing contraction across the cone. The tiltmeter on the north flank of Pu`u `O`o Cone recorded continued deflation with a brief period of accelerated deflation from 9:30 am to 3 pm yesterday, about an hour after a similarly-brief accelerated deflation at the summit; this may be a DI tilt event. Seismic tremor levels were low. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 1,700 tonnes/day on August 5, 2011, from all east rift zone sources.

Video by David Corrigan, Mick Kalber, and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory | Voice of Stephanie Salazar

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii: Hawaii Island is still buzzing over the new lava flow that broke out by the Puu Oo crater on Kilauea volcano last week.

Big Island Video News obtained this spectacular fly-over video, taken by Mick Kalber at sunset on the day the breakout first occurred.

We also caught up with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s Scientist-in-Charge, Jim Kauahikaua, to talk about the current phase of the eruption.

Kauahikaua said the lava effusion rate has slowed considerably since the August 3rd breakout, and detailed the latest event from a geologists perspective.

The latest volcano update, as 8:12 a.m. Hawaii Time, was posted by HVO on their website:

Past 24 hours at the middle east rift zone vents: Lava continued to trickle into the deepest part of the collapsed crater floor. The west flank vents remained active issuing short flows that advanced over lava emplaced since August 3rd; the western webcam showed southwest advancement of a channelized `a`a flow. The active flows remained entirely within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and posed no direct hazard to any developed areas.

The GPS network around Pu`u `O`o Cone recorded slowing contraction across the cone. The tiltmeter on the north flank of Pu`u `O`o Cone recorded continued deflation. Seismic tremor levels were low. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 1,700 tonnes/day on August 5, 2011, from all east rift zone sources.

Background: The eruption of Kilauea’s middle east rift zone started with a fissure eruption on January 3, 1983, and has continued with few interruptions through Pu`u `O`o Crater or vents within a few kilometers to the east or west. Since late March, lava has been filling the collapsed crater within Pu`u `O`o Cone, first building a perched lava lake that, in July, evolved into a shield with the lake at its top as a result of uplift of the crater floor and lake. In early August, the crater floor again collapsed to a depth of about 75 m (245 ft) below the east rim as lava burst from vents on the west flank of Pu`u `O`o cone.

Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: The lava lake level stabilized at a low level and 15-minute fill-and-drain cycles started around 9 am yesterday, were in full swing 2 pm to 4 am this morning, and were finished by 6 am this morning; before and after this period, circulation was sluggish from southeast to northwest. Small rockfalls were frequent from the vent walls.

Kilauea summit is deflating: the summit tiltmeter network continued to record slowing deflation and the summit GPS network recorded contraction since August 3rd. Seismic tremor levels were generally low although strong bursts accompanied each draining at an interval of approximately 15 minutes. Six earthquakes were strong enough to be located within Kilauea volcano – three deep quakes beneath the area immediately west of the summit, two quakes beneath the summit caldera, and one on south flank faults.

The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 800 tonnes/day on August 5, 2011. Small amounts of ash-sized tephra, including fresh spatter bits, continued to be wafted within the plume and deposited on nearby surfaces.

Over the weekend, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, expecting an increase in visitors seeking a closer look, released this statement:

Park-goers on Thursday evening enjoyed views of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s west flank eruption from several spots. Rosy clouds of gas and ash were visible from the bottom of Chain of Craters Road looking up towards Pu‘u ‘Ô‘ô, where nearly 600 visitors gathered. At Pu‘u Huluhulu, hundreds of flashlight-wielding hikers made the two-and-a-half mile round-trip trek and were treated to a rare “double header” of lava activity: a deep orange glow from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s advancing flows about six miles away, plus a reddish glow from Kīlauea’s summit eruption at Halema‘uma‘u crater about 12 miles away. Newly installed reflectors mark the trail, but hikers must have flashlights, drinking water and wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes.

Spectators at Jaggar Museum overlook got the reverse view, a steady glow emitting from Halema‘uma‘u Crater, with views of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s new activity to the southeast.

Park rangers made several flights over the new flow, and estimate it has added approximately 615 acres of new lava.

“It’s an exciting and memorable time to visit Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and we’re expecting a busy weekend,” said Talmadge Magno, Chief Ranger and Incident Commander. “Safety is our first priority, but because of careful monitoring of fire smoke and SO2 levels, we were able to reopen Chain of Craters Road on Thursday, and viewing opportunities are safe and can be superb, weather permitting.”

Park rangers will be stationed at Pu‘u Huluhulu until 8:30 p.m. and at Jaggar Museum until 9 p.m. through the weekend.

At the same time, fire crews fought to control brushfires resulting from the new influx of lava. The National Park had this to say:

A wildfire, estimated at six acres total, was ignited by lava and burned through forests of native Hawaiian and alien vegetation. A small blaze on the southern branch of the flow was nearly contained Friday afternoon. Seven firefighters were flown in by helicopter, and used hand tools, chainsaws and water from 80-gallon bladder bags to suppress the fire.

Meanwhile, a multi-agency emergency response team mobilized at the Visitor Emergency Operations Center in the park, keeping close tabs on current eruption conditions and another fire, estimated at five acres, at the north stretch of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s flow.

Approximately 30 personnel from agencies including Hawai‘i County Civil Defense, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park’s Fire Management team, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and Whiskeytown National Park were called into
action.

“Right now we’re not sending any crews into the fire to the north but will watch it closely. Conditions are too hazardous,” said Fire Management Officer Joe Molhoek. In addition to methane explosions and tree snags, giant earth cracks make the ground treacherous.

The fires, and the recent flows, are entirely within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. No residential areas are currently threatened.

Video courtesy Mick and Ann Kalber, of Tropical Visions Video

Lava continues to erupt from about a dozen new points along a crack in the west flank of Pu’u ‘Ō’ō, report USGS geologists with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Lava was moving much slower the day after the new lava flow burst out of the east rift zone… and it appears as if lava has begun to pond at the eastern end of the Kamoamoa fissure area.

The video above is raw footage filmed by the famed Tropical Visions vulcanographer Mick Kalber, who took to the sky the day of the eruption – when the new lava flow was still vigorous – in time to catch the tale end of the “magic hour”, when the glow of the molten rivers of rock are bright.

Today, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory posted this Kilauea update:

The walls of Pu`u `O`o Crater continued to collapse yesterday including a block immediately to the left of the webcam which dropped in overnight. A trickle of lava returned to the very deepest part of the collapsed crater floor yesterday morning and was visible in the webcam overnight. During yesterday’s overflight, the depth of the collapse was measured at about 75 m (245 ft) below the east rim. The flows that gushed out of the west flank vents on August 3rd remained active but with the outer limits of activity retreating back toward the sources; in other words, lower effusion rates weren’t allowing the active lava to travel as far from the vents before solidifying. The flows remained entirely within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and pose no direct hazard to any developed areas.

The GPS network around Pu`u `O`o Cone recorded slow contraction across the cone overnight. The tiltmeter on the north flank of Pu`u `O`o Cone recorded continued deflation. Seismic tremor levels were low. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 3,100 tonnes/day on August 4, 2011, from all east rift zone sources.

Meanwhile, officials at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park reopened Chain of Craters Road at 4 p.m. Thursday, after a 24-hour closure resulting from the new eruptive activity. Park rangers are stationed near sea level at the bottom of Chain of Craters Road, at Pu‘u Huluhulu and at Jaggar Museum to inform visitors of the latest conditions and best viewing opportunities.

Scientists say the volume of erupted lava has already equaled, or exceeded, the volume of the Pu`u `O`o crater collapse, so the flow is possibly being fed directly from the rift zone.

No residential homes are in immediate danger, officials say.

Video courtesy the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

HAWAII VOLCANOES OBSERVATORY, Hawaii: It was 5 months ago when the world watched the Pu’u O’o crater collapse as the dramatic Kamoamoa fissure eruption tore open the earth on the east rift of Kilauea volcano.

Today, another lava breakout on the east rift in nearly the same area has been followed by another collapse, this time a drop of about 260 to 280 feet, according to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists.

HVO scientists say the video seen here “shows a timelapse sequence taken from the webcam on Pu`u `O`o’s north rim. The movie starts just after noon on August 3, with the typical westward flow of lava within the perched lava lake. Just after 2pm, breakouts start on the flank of the perched lava lake and the lake begins to drop. Remarkably, while the lake drops the circulation is maintained, until the lake finally disintegrates. By the end of the sequence, the lava lake is gone and floor has dropped about 80 meters (260 ft). Around 3:15pm, you can see a portion of the rim, at the very right end of the image, collapse into the crater.”

The second, thermal image video “shows a timelapse sequence taken from a thermal camera on the south rim of Pu`u `O`o, beginning just before noon on August 3. Just after 2pm, the lava lake and surrounding floor abruptly drop. As the lava lake drops, solidified portions of the crater floor slide into the fluid lava. By the end of the sequence, the floor of the crater is composed of only hot rubble and inclined blocks of the pre-existing crater floor. The temperature scale is degrees Celsius.”

The weekly Volcano Watch article, written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, helps to put things into perspective:

With volcanoes, we often learn by comparing current events with those of the past. We can even make limited forecasts based on past scenarios if they are sufficiently similar.

The August 3 collapse of the Pu`u `O`o crater floor, accompanied by the eruption of a high-volume lava flow from a vent on the cone’s west flank, is similar to other events on Pu`u `O`o during the past 20 years. For example, this week’s event is akin to the Mother’s Day event on May 12, 2002.

In early 2002, lava was intermittently active in several small pits within the Pu`u `O`o crater floor, and tubes fed lava flows down Kilauea’s south flank, destroying one house in the Royal Gardens subdivision, 6 km (4 mi) away. Throughout the spring, Pu`u `O`o activity slowly increased, resulting in two brief surges of lava within the crater in April. Early in the month, lava ponded in a pit immediately west of Pu`u `O`o Crater. This pit eventually overflowed, producing a lava flow that advanced 800 m (0.5 mi) to the south-southeast. Then, at the end of April, lava erupting from the east half of the crater floor filled Pu`u `O`o to within 12 m (40 ft) of its east rim.

Subdued activity continued until the morning of May 12, 2002—Mother’s Day. At 7:40 a.m., HST, a tiltmeter on the north flank of Pu`u `O`o began recording rapid inflation. About an hour later, high-volume lava flows gushed from two vents 100 m (300 ft) apart on the west flank of Pu`u `O`o cone. Lava first traveled west, then turned to the southwest, and advanced along the edge of previous flows, sparking the largest forest fire from Kilauea’s east rift zone eruption at the time. The initial lava output was estimated at 8 million cubic meters per day (1,500 gpm), but decreased over the following days. Lava reached the ocean on July 19, about 5 weeks after it first erupted. Interestingly, gas emissions did not increase from this outbreak on Pu‘u ‘Ô‘ô’s west flank.

Flash forward to 2011. In early March, Pu`u `O`o collapsed prior to a four-day fissure eruption to the west, and, by the end of the month, lava was refilling the crater. On July 3, the crater floor began to inflate like a balloon, with the perched lava lake within the crater resembling a recessed pool on top of a large dome. The rapid increase in subsurface pressure beneath the crater floor signaled impending change.

Sure enough, in late July, lava erupting from vents within Pu`u `O`o filled two small pits just west of the crater. Lava spilled out of those pits on July 25, feeding a small lava flow toward the southwest. Lava activity and crater floor uplift in Pu`u `O`o diminished on July 30 but resumed on August 1.

Then, on Wednesday, August 3, at about 2:00 p.m., HST, the domed floor of Pu`u `O`o Crater started to subside. Fifteen minutes later, lava burst from the west flank of the Pu`u `O`o cone, flooding downslope areas and forming a branched flow. The weaker northwest branch flowed into the forest on the north side of the rift zone, while the much more vigorous south branch quickly moved downslope along the west side of the Mother’s Day flow field, advancing 3.6 km (2.2 mi) in 3 hours. Preliminary lava production estimates are at least twice the rate of the 2002 flow, and gas emissions increased by a factor of 10 to 5,000-7,000 tonnes/day.

Although the lava flow has now diminished, based on similar past events, it might last from days to weeks, or perhaps months. The volume of erupted lava has already equaled, or exceeded, the volume of the Pu`u `O`o crater collapse, so the flow is possibly being fed directly from the rift zone.

Video courtesy Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii: Lava continues to erupt from about a dozen new points along a crack in the west flank of Pu’u ‘Ō’ō, as of this afternoon, report USGS geologists with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Lava was moving much slower today, and it appears as if lava had begun to pond at the eastern end of the Kamoamoa fissure area.

In the most recent HVO Kilauea Status update, scientists write:

Mapping by HVO scientists today revealed that, overnight, the north lava flow did not advance at all and the south flow advanced only about 100 m (330 ft) farther downslope.

Today, the two flow branches were no longer distinguishable. Instead, lava was ponding in a low area between the west flank of the Pu’u ‘Ō’ō cone and the eastern end of the Kamoamoa fissure. The volume of erupted lava was at a diminished rate compared to the initial outbreak yesterday.

Measurements today showed that the Pu’u ‘Ō’ō crater floor collapsed about 80-85 m (260-280 ft). The Pu’u ‘Ō’ō crater rim remained extremely unstable, with continued collapses along the crater walls sending blocks of rock onto the crater floor.

Gas emissions from east rift zone sources remain elevated.

The lava flows are entirely within a remote area of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park that is closed to the public, and pose no direct hazard to developed areas.

At Kīlauea’s summit, the level of the lava lake within the vent in Halema’uma’u Crater dropped since yesterday, but not significantly.

Meanwhile, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park announced that they had re-opened Chain of Craters Road today.

This media release was issued by HVNP today, as well:

Officials at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park reopened Chain of Craters Road at 4 p.m. today, after a 24-hour closure resulting from new eruptive activity at Kīlauea volcano’s Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. Park rangers are stationed near sea level at the bottom of Chain of Craters Road, at Pu‘u Huluhulu and at Jaggar Museum to inform visitors of the latest conditions and best viewing opportunities.

On Wed., Aug. 3, the crater floor and lava lake within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō collapsed and lava flowed out of its west flank. Scientists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitored a rapid deflation of the crater floor and lava lake, and by 3:15 p.m. yesterday, the collapse began.

Visitors to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park are able to view dramatic glows from the new Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō eruption from several vantage points within the park, including Pu‘u Huluhulu, the Jaggar Museum overlook, and from the bottom of Chain of Craters Road.

“For the more adventurous, a short mile-and-a-half round-trip hike to Pu‘u Huluhulu puts you in the line of site of the vent and new lava flows off the west flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō,” said Chief Ranger Talmadge Magno. “And, weather permitting, the glow is apparent after sunset as the aylight obscures any redness. Visitors can also drive to the end of Chain of Craters Road and look up and see the glow,” he said.

Chief of Interpretation Jim Gale posted video to the park’s website: http://www.nps.gov/havo/photosmultimedia/eruption-20110803.htm.

In addition, Kīlauea’s summit eruption at Halema‘uma‘u crater continues, and visitors can often hear the roar from rocks exploding off crater walls, and can observe a beautiful red glow after nightfall. Rangers reported that the new incandescence from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is also visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is open 24 hours a day, conditions permitting. For eruption updates, call (808) 985-6000.

And while visitors are enjoying new lava activity, a six-person fire crew has contained approximately 80 percent of a wildfire ignited by lava on the southern end of the flow, approximately one acre in size. Another fire on the north end of the flow continues to burn, and is being monitored by fire officials.

A large crowd gathered at the Jaggar Museum Overlook last night, abuzz over the news that a new lava flow had burst forth. All that was visible, however, was a much brighter than normal glow in the direction of Pu’u O’o.

Stay tuned to daily updates about Kilauea’s ongoing eruptions, recent images and videos of summit and east rift zone volcanic activity, and data about recent earthquakes are posted on the HVO Web site at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov. Additional status reports will be posted as warranted.

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii: Hawaii Island’s east rift zone has an active lava flow once again, according to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists.

The following media release was just issued:

HAWAI‘I ISLAND, Hawaii — At 2:05 p.m., HST, this afternoon, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) monitoring network detected the onset of rapid deflation of the Pu‘u ‘O‘o crater floor. Soon thereafter, at 2:20 p.m., lava broke out at the base of the west flank of the Pu‘u ‘O‘o cone.

According to Jim Kauahikaua, HVO’s Scientist-in-Charge, the breakout points are 0.7 km (0.4 mi) east of the eastern end of the Kamoamoa fissure that erupted earlier this year, in March 2011, or about half way between Pu‘u ‘O‘o Crater and the eastern end of the Kamoamoa fissure.

“Interestingly, as the crater floor deflated, lava in the perched lake within Pu‘u ‘O‘o Crater continued to circulate, just as it had over the past several weeks,” Kauahikaua noted, “but, by 3:15 p.m., the crater floor and lava lake began to collapse.”

HVO scientists at the eruption site reported a branched lava flow moving down Kilauea’s south flank. The weaker northwest arm was pushing into kipuka and forest, while the higher volume, larger south arm had advanced at least 3 km (1.8 mi) downslope as of 3:50 p.m. The lava flow is entirely within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and poses no hazard to residents at this time.

The east rift zone activity has not caused significant changes within Kilauea’s summit vent in Halema‘uma‘u Crater.

Updates on the status of Kilauea’s east rift and summit eruptions are posted on HVO’s Web site every morning at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php. Additional updates on the new east rift zone activity will be posted each afternoon as merited.

HVO webcam images of Pu‘u ‘Ô‘ô and surrounding area, including the site of the current activity, can be accessed at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/cams/. The webcam images, which are updated every 5 minutes, are primarily for research and monitoring purposes, but are made available as a courtesy to the public.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park has closed the Chain of Craters Road until further notice, but sections of Crater Rim Drive remain open. For more information about access and road closures, Park visitors should call 808-985-6011 or email havo_interpretation@nps.gov.

The USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.

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Photo above courtesy HVO, taken before the current lava breakout. The photo shows Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, looking northwest. In addition to flowing out of the crater to the southwest, lava has also been filling in the northeast side of the crater. Lava there is within 6 m (20 ft) of the crater rim. The gas plume from the vent at Kīlauea’s summit is in the background. The gentle slope of Mauna Loa volcano forms the skyline beyond.