Monday night, Meteorologist Malika Dudley explains to the BBC how and why the lava erupting in Puna has changed, summarizing USGS findings:
We were on @bbcworld news last night. This an excerpt explaining what HVO scientists have suspected would happen – and has been confirmed through testing… the chemical composition of the lava has changed. #pahoehoe #kilauea #kilaueaeruption #kilaueavolcano #lavaupdate #volcano pic.twitter.com/ECArDvsrOw
— IG: @MalikaDudley (@MalikaDudley) May 22, 2018
Today’s big activities were: (1) massive lava fountains/flows in the Lower East Rift Zone/Lower Puna, entering the ocean at two points (2 modest ash explosions from Halema’uma’u crater (they looked to me like the 10,000 foot range). I’m going to stop worrying about whether they’re triggered by steam explosions or rockfalls.
Late afternoon HNN update includes footage of lava entry into ocean:
#LeilaniEstatesEruption #KilaueaVolcano UPDATE: @CivilDefenseHI wants residents & visitors to be aware of the risks they could be exposed to if they attempt to get a closer look at the lava ocean entry from laze to localized tsunamis https://t.co/m38TCP8JXR @HawaiiNewsNow #HINews pic.twitter.com/2fHrnl2tMI
— Mileka Lincoln (@MilekaLincoln) May 21, 2018
Oh good, Mick’s posted the day’s flyover. Noisy helicopter, incredible views:
Also, the lava livestream continues. Someone posted a screencap with USGS scientists working below Fissure 20, giving a sense of scale:
Just for a little bit of scale and a reality check… The two circled white specks are @USGSVolcanoes workers going down to collect lava samples earlier today. #hawaiivolcanohttps://t.co/EAYpbsA30w pic.twitter.com/i1b9Yr3wSk
— Kimberly (@kimberlyaliceMT) May 20, 2018
KITV archived HVO’s afternoon alert:
BigIslandVideoNews just put up an edited video of Saturday’s USGS press conference. My hero Don Swanson is there. It’s INCREDIBLY informative on what they think is happening at the summit and why they think it’s a repeat of the “much smaller eruptions” of 1924 and not larger ones.
Continue reading May 19 USGS Press Conference on Kilauea’s Explosive Side
There’s two lava livestreams on Youtube this morning, same location, Honolulu CivilBeat mostly focusing on Fissure 20, ~1000 yards away. WXchasing moving camera more often [ETA: WX stream now archived]. HCB said Fissure 17 (3/5 a mile away) has built up a cinder cone 300 feet tall.
Last night, Fissure 20’s lava flow crossed Highway 137 and reached the ocean at 11PM, leaving some Puna residents with one escape route. Filed under “things I didn’t know,” Civil Defense warns of “Laze,” a spray of hot steam, hydrochloric acid, and “fine glass particles” when lava hits seawater.
Also filed under “things I didn’t know”: “Methane gas, produced as lava buries vegetation, can migrate in subsurface voids and explode when heated.” (USGS)