June 3: Kapoho’s Lava Woes and Guatemala’s Heartbreak

I write with a heavy heart tonight.

While Kilauea claims homes, possessions, and places people loved— and animals, sadly— it’s a relatively benign volcano (as long as it remains in its lava-gushing “effusive phase”). Its “ballistic rocks” can’t fly much farther than half a mile. Ash and vog hamper quality of life, but aren’t instantly deadly. Its lava moves slowly enough for people to escape. Lava creates new land while it destroys, and it breaks down eventually into fertile soil. While it’s destructive, it’s also beautiful:

This is a "waterfall" of lava pouring into Green Lake that is inside the Kapoho Crater on Green Mountain. The lake…

Posted by Don Hurzeler on Sunday, June 3, 2018

That’s the life’s blood of a shield volcano like Kilauea. But there’s another kind of volcano I’ve mentioned before: stratovolcanoes like Krakatoa and Mount St. Helens. Their silica-rich, stiff, sticky lava piles up into steep mountains that can bottle up tremendous pressure before letting go. I’m afraid that’s probably what happened in Guatemala today.

Careless news media (even the BBC!) are claiming that a river of lava from volcan del Fuego killed over 20 people and injured dozens more. But all the videos I saw (apart from videos of Leilani Estates passed off as Guatemala) show pyroclastic flows:

Not that scary-looking, eh? But nighttime shows the true face of a pyroclastic flow (Sinabung, Indonesia).

Dr. Janine Krippner pointed out this brief informative video explaining what pyroclastic flows are and why they’re so dangerous. Here’s the Spanish language version. Hearing-impaired? See What Is a Pyroclastic Flow? or ¿Qué son los flujos piroclásticos?

Please spare some compassionate thoughts for the Guatemalans caught in this eruption. Most of them probably thought those gray clouds were just (cooled) ash, like what’s irritating Hawaiians living downwind from Halema’uma’u. (No, Kilauea’s not going to do that.)

Today’s kilauea eruption summary
USGS caption: “Photo from 7AM helicopter overflight, hovering offshore and looking up the flowfront. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing; advance rates were estimated at an average of 250 feet/hour (76 m/hr), and as of 7AM the flow was 500 yards (457 m) from the ocean.” (Full-sized)

As for Kilauea, the main news today was fissure 8’s lava flow making its finall approach to the shore through the Kapoho Beach Lots/Vacationland area.

And as if in response to news media headlines claiming it’s “fallen quiet,” the summit woke up again with a whole popcorn-popper’s worth of earthquakes, including a beefy M5.5 in the afternoon and an ash cloud rising to 8,000 feet.

Here’s my daily digest of Kilauea eruption news, including:

  • Updates/info from the USGS and other geologists
  • eruption news from Hawaii Civil Defense
  • Local news stations covering the eruption and its impact
  • relevant social media posts by informed eyewitnesses

USGS Morning Briefing

Jessica Ball — Transcript

Summary: Progress of fissure 8, which yesterday filled/boiled away Green Lake in Kapoho Crater. 7AM today entered Kapoho Beach Lots and was 500 yards from ocean, moving ~250 feet/hour, but speed varies. Weakly active flow from fissure 16. Yesterday ash/earthquake activity weak but gas emissions remain high. 

11AM USGS Lava Flow Map
USGS Maps Caption: “Map as of 11:00 a.m. HST, June 3, 2018. Given the dynamic nature of Kīlauea’s lower East Rift Zone eruption, with changing vent locations, fissures starting and stopping, and varying rates of lava effusion, map details shown here are accurate as of the date/time noted. Shaded purple areas indicate lava flows erupted in 1840, 1955, 1960, and 2014-2015. (see large map)”
11am USGS Conference Call WITH MEDIA

[Part I: Lower East Rift Zone report]

Brian Shiro (Paraphrase/summary): Fissure 8 flow 430 yds from ocean at 7:30am.
Earthquakes in LERZ low; “we think the [magma] conduit is open, the lava is flowing freely and doesn’t need to break rock and make earthquakes much anymore.”
Q&A: Rate of f8 slower today? And what happened to Green Lake?
Brian: Yesterday peaked at 250ft/hour; no new measurement yet today. Green Lake: lava flow came around n side of Kapoho crater. White plume of water evaporating from 10am, gone by 1:30pm seems to indicate lava entered lake, boiled off water, filled lake with lava (unsure if totally or just partly filled, but high flow rate/volume capable of that much fill).
Q: Is this still considered part of Pu’u O’o eruption or new?
Brian: Chemistry is like Pu’u O’o’s —young, fresh, fast-moving lava— but it’s its own eruption. Pu’u O’o, no noticeable activity, but still might revive.
Q: New pictures of fissure 9 showing cracks twice as wide, heavy steam. What are SO2 readings coming from fissure 9?  10? 11? Cracks under 130? Fissure activity seems to be moving slowly uprift?
Brian: Steaming at 9 might indicate lava about to break out there. Crews are monitoring SO2 and gasses closely, new numbers not out yet.

[Part 2: Summit/Halema’uma’u report]

Brian Shiro (paraphrase/summary): Not much plume activity over past day; Ash advisory lifted at 11AM. Over 500 earthquakes past 24 hours, highest rate ever measured there. Summit continuing to deflate.
Q&A: Asked what this means.
Since May 27, ash explosions have become irregular, fewer, “depressed” by rubble choking conduit. “When explosions do eventually get out, they potentially could be larger. And of course the last 3 we had were the largest in terms of energy release.”

[[Looking at monitoring, that’s (1) 5/29 5am M5.3 — ash plume 15,000 feet   (2) 5/30 1:53pm M5.3  There was a “large explosion” on May 30, according to Kyole Anderson conference call, after which plume weakened, just steam and not much ash. But USGS eruption summary says 12,000 foot plume at 11AM.     (3) 6/1 4:37pm M5.4  – there was a small 8,000 foot ash plume at 1:40pm— unclear if related?   Frustratingly USGS/CD/NWS aren’t reporting all the ash plumes or at least I’m having problems finding reports.]]
Q: Rather longwinded question tracing most of the eruption history of 1924 and asking if every single one of those things is/has happened.
Brian: Many similarities, won’t necessarily follow exactly same script. Expansion of Halema’uma’u IS happening; slumping on western wall, and it’s gotten bigger, especially since May 27. [He didn’t point out that in 1924, Halema’uma’u was a lava lake that just drained, then it got bigger over past century;  this time it’s the overlook vent’s lava lake that drained, and this vent has grown 10x in May]  Is it building up to another big one? We don’t know, but there is that possibility.

[new earthquake/ash explosion later in day.] 

TODAY’S USGS IMAGES/VIDS

Another view of lava closing on Kapoho Beach Lots (from video clip):

USGS caption: “Overflight photo at 7AM HST from offshore looking up the flowfront. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing/spreading.” (Full-sized)

Latest view of Fissure 8 shows cone building:

A new radar image shows Halema’uma’u’s crater is changing size as well as the old lava lake/overlook vent crater within it:

USGS caption: “This animated GIF shows a sequence of radar amplitude images that were acquired by the Italian Space Agency’s Cosmo-SkyMed satellite system. The images illustrate changes to the caldera area of Kīlauea Volcano that occurred between May 5 and June 2 at 6:00 p.m. HST.
[..]Over time, expansion of the summit eruptive vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater and the widening of Halema‘uma‘u itself are clear. The last image in the sequence, from June 2, shows the development of several cracks outside Halema‘uma‘u (previously seen in UAS footage of the crater) and inward slumping of a large portion of the western crater rim. The west side of Halema‘uma‘u is clearly unstable, and it is possible that rockfalls and continued slumping will occur in the future.” (Full-sized)
In the morning, Halema’uma’u was showing the “weak plume” of the past few days: mostly steam/gasses and not much ash.

USGS caption: “Summit plume at 8:40AM HST on June 3. A slight mist in the air softens the look of the plume, which is predominantly white steam with very minor amounts of ash.” (Full-sized)

More internet rumor quashing:

From Other Geologists

Hawaii Civil Defense ALERTS:
  • There is no access to Kapoho, Vacationland, Hwy 132, and Hwy 137.
  • First responders are actively conducting search and rescue missions.
  • Please contact Civil Defense if you confirm that someone you know is remaining in the isolated area.  Call 935-0031.
  • Government Beach Rd, between Kahakai Blvd and Papaya Farms Rd, is open to Waa Waa and Papaya Farms Road residents only with official credentials.

[Updates throughout the day track the lava’s progress, and have the usual hazard warnings for volcanic gasses, ash, particulates, laze, Pele’s hair.]

6pm | 9:30pm | 12:30pm | 4:50pm (5.5 earthquake/ashfall/ ash cloud 8,000 feet)| 4:50pm (LERZ)

Mick Kalber 6AM Overflight

Screengrab showing fate of Green Lake:

From Mick Kalber June 3 around timestamp 1:35, lighting tweaked in photoshop. Go to 1:30 in video; right before this he was zoomed in so you could see lavafall going down into boiled-away lake cavity.

See Mick’s video description for his morning observations.

LOCAL NEWS and news outlet coverage

BigIslandVideoNews (borrowing the headline from my daily digest yesterday!) cites Senator & National Guardsman Kai Kahele  “civilians still in Kapoho were directed to go to Pohoiki / Issac Hale Beach Park for potential extraction and U.S. Army Blackhawks landed at designated landing zones ready to assist with the evacuation.”

Looking Back

Gorgeous timelapse of Pu’u O’o lava flows in 2016.

Backstory behind this photoshoot.

Social Media Roundup

This is the flow on highway 132 headed east towards Kapoho. If watch really closely, you can see the river moving at a…

Posted by Ikaika Marzo on Sunday, June 3, 2018

#LeilaniEstatesEruption #KilaueaVolcano UPDATE (June 3 at 2:30 PM): PT. 1 of 2 — This aerial footage just came in from Hawai'i State Senator Kaiali'i Kahele who is flew over the lower East Rift Zone right in a National Guard Black Hawk as part of the convoy engaged in active air search and rescue operations in the lava-isolated area of Kapoho and Vacationland. The county is asking persons who know of someone who is in the isolated area to call Civil Defense, 808-935-0031, to notify authorities of that person’s whereabouts. Cell service and landlines are not functioning in the isolated area. According to USGS HVO geologists, fissure 8 continues to be very active and create a flow heading towards the ocean at a slowed rate compared to yesterday. At last report, the leading edge of the lava flow about 430 yards from the ocean between Kapoho Beach Road and Kapoho Kai Drive. Officials say the flow front is about half a mile wide. Officials expect the flow could reach the ocean today. According to USGS, lava has filled much of Green Lake. The lake is known to be deep, but HVO doesn't know exactly how deep. According to Civil Defense: fissure 8 is feeding a large channelized flow traveling along Highway 132, the Pāhoa-Kapoho Road. Officials say lava has crossed Government Beach Road and Highway 137. The flow is moving downslope toward the ocean into Kapoho Beach Lots and as of early this morning had reached Kapoho Kai Road to the south and as far east as Iliani Road. Civil Defense officials say: “There is no access to Kapoho, Vacationland, Highway 132, and Highway 137. Government Beach Road, between Kahakai Boulevard and Cinder Road, is open to Waʻa Waʻa and Papaya Farms Road residents only with official credentials. There is no curfew. On the coast, be aware of laze from the ocean entry. Stay alert to warnings from Civil Defense officials and be prepared to evacuate with little notice. Shelters at Pāhoa Community Center and Keaʻau Armory are open and pet friendly.” Stay tuned to Hawaii News Now for the very latest developments #HInews #HawaiiNews #HNN #HawaiiNewsNow #WeAreYourSource (Video: Kaialiʻi Kahele taken around 12:30 PM Sunday, June 3)

A post shared by Mileka Lincoln (@milekalincoln) on

#LeilaniEstatesEruption #KilaueaVolcano UPDATE (June 3 at 4 PM): PT. 2 of 2 — Aerial footage from Hawai'i State Senator Kaiali'i Kahele who flew over the lower East Rift Zone right in a National Guard Black Hawk as part of the convoy engaged in active air search and rescue operations in the lava-isolated area of Kapoho and Vacationland. The county is asking persons who know of someone who is in the isolated area to call Civil Defense, 808-935-0031, to notify authorities of that person’s whereabouts. Cell service and landlines are not functioning in the isolated area. According to USGS HVO geologists, fissure 8 continues to be very active and create a flow heading towards the ocean at a slowed rate compared to yesterday. At last report, the leading edge of the lava flow about 430 yards from the ocean between Kapoho Beach Road and Kapoho Kai Drive. Officials say the flow front is about half a mile wide. Officials expect the flow could reach the ocean today. According to USGS, lava has filled much of Green Lake. The lake is known to be deep, but HVO doesn't know exactly how deep. According to Civil Defense: fissure 8 is feeding a large channelized flow traveling along Highway 132, the Pāhoa-Kapoho Road. Officials say lava has crossed Government Beach Road and Highway 137. The flow is moving downslope toward the ocean into Kapoho Beach Lots and as of early this morning had reached Kapoho Kai Road to the south and as far east as Iliani Road. Civil Defense officials say: “There is no access to Kapoho, Vacationland, Highway 132, and Highway 137. Government Beach Road, between Kahakai Boulevard and Cinder Road, is open to Waʻa Waʻa and Papaya Farms Road residents only with official credentials. There is no curfew. On the coast, be aware of laze from the ocean entry. Stay alert to warnings from Civil Defense officials and be prepared to evacuate with little notice. Shelters at Pāhoa Community Center and Keaʻau Armory are open and pet friendly.” Stay tuned to Hawaii News Now for the very latest developments #HInews #HawaiiNews #HNN #HawaiiNewsNow #WeAreYourSource (Video: Kaialiʻi Kahele taken around 12:30 PM Sunday, June 3)

A post shared by Mileka Lincoln (@milekalincoln) on