(BIVN) – Episode 26 in the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano ended late Friday morning after 8 hours of continuous lava fountaining.
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says the latest episode ended abruptly at 10:25 a.m. HST, when lava fountains and flows stopped erupting from the south vent. The end of the eruption was coincident with a rapid change from deflation to inflation at the summit and a decrease in seismic tremor intensity, the geologists reported.
Episode 26 began late Thursday night with low-level precursory activity. The sustained lava fountaining phase of the episode started at approximately 1:40 a.m. HST on Friday morning.
All images and video are courtesy the U.S. Geological Survey. A synthesized text-to-video voiceover was used in the narration for this story.
From the USGS Volcanic Activity Notice issued just before 11 a.m. HST:
The north vent stopped erupting at approximately 10:07 a.m. HST. The south vent stopped erupting at approximately 10:25 a.m. HST, marking the end of the episode. Lava fountains reached heights of well over 1,000 ft (300 m) during this episode. Volcanic gas emissions have greatly decreased. Lava flows from this episode on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu within the southern part of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) will continue to exhibit slow movement and incandescence as they cool and solidify over the coming days.
Scientists say the Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) recorded more than 18 microradians of deflationary tilt during this episode.
“Peak heights early this morning likely set a new record for this eruption,” the USGS HVO stated earlier today.
The episode prompted a Special Weather Statement from the National Weather Service, which reported “local doppler radar data indicated that bursts of volcanic ash were erupting up to 20,000 feet at the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater” at 1:30 a.m. HST.
“Low level trade winds will push ash toward the west-southwest, and any ash fallout will likely occur over portions of the Kaʻū District and Highway 11 southwest to west of the town of Volcano,” the National Weather Service stated. “This may include the communities of Pahala and Wood Valley. Trade winds are spreading this ash in the same direction, and repeated eruptions may lead to a heavier buildup of ash in the local area. Additionally, any ash deposited will be picked up off the ground by the wind, contributing to dusty conditions.”
The Kīlauea eruption is once again paused, and USGS Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remain at WATCH/ORANGE.
by Big Island Video News
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STORY SUMMARY
HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK - The latest episode ended abruptly at 10:25 a.m. on Friday when lava fountains and flows stopped erupting from the south vent.