June 19: Magnificent Desolation

Six weeks in, this eruption can still take one’s breath away.

USGS: During the helicopter overflight on June 18, crews captured this image of the growing Halema‘uma‘u crater viewed to the southeast. With HVO and Jagger Museum sitting on the caldera rim (right side, middle where the road bends to the left) it is easier to comprehend the scale of subsidence at the summit. The estimated total volume loss is about 260 million cubic meters as of June 15th. (Full-sized)

USGS: “Fissure 8 vigor increased overnight June 18-19 with lava fountains reaching up to 60 m (200 ft). Spatter built up the cone to the east and into the channel. In this photograph, spatter lands on the east cone and flows downward.” (Full-sized)
Today’s Eruption Summary

Today’s summit explosion came early, 5:05am HST, with a weak ash/gas plume that reached 5,000 feet above sea level (Kilauea is ~4,000). Every one of these explosions means more downdropping and subsidence, resulting in the colossal changes we’re seeing to Halema’uma’u.

In the Lower East Rift Zone, Fissure 8 climbed back up to 200 foot fountains last night, beefing up the sides of its cone with spatter (but not adding much more height).  This morning the river was full to the top of its levees with a few minor breakouts.

Some of these overflows made it past the edge of earlier flows. One went north up Pohoiki Road a short distance before stalling, while another crept northwest along Luana Street. Fissure 6, 15, 16 are “oozing” lava and steaming. Near the ocean, the channel has forked to create two ocean entries, but the only place where it’s still covering more land is a creeping southwest edge of the lava flow in the Vacationland area.

(Above vimeo channel is nothing but daily ocean entry videos.)

More USGS Images and Videos

USGS: “Fissure 8 cone, lava fountain, and channelized lava flow on the morning overflight – June 19 at about 6:10am HST. The lava channel is very full with many small overflows visible on the channel margins. Overflows are sluggish and move slowly downslope as they build up the levees.” (Full-sized)
USGS: “The northern channel margin of the fissure 8 lava flow. Small hill in the distance is the site of our PGcam. Overflows from the channel can be seen producing shiny black to silver pahoehoe flows (incandescent red breakout visible in center of photo). These flows are building up the channel margins and making the levees more robust.” (Full-sized)

Video: Overflight and ground views of fissure 8.

USGS caption: “Geology field crews on the ground near the Kīlauea’s fissure 8 midday on June 19, 2018 observed a still-vigorous channelized lava flow being fed by lava fountains at the vent. Standing waves are visible within the channel. Cascades/rapids are visible near the base of the cone, which is an estimated 50 m (164 ft) high. The maximum flow velocity in the channel is 7.7 m/s (17 mph). During the morning overflight, several small overflows could be seen along the channel margins. The flow of lava is more rapid in the center of the channel and decreases in speed toward the margins where friction with the channel walls increases. The lava flow forks as it nears the ocean, creating two ocean entry points.”

More on the Changes at Halema’uma’u

A new satellite radar animation shows continuing changes at the summit.

USGS: “May 5 and June 18 at about 6:00 a.m.[…]The last five images in the sequence, from May 29-June 18, show the development of several cracks outside Halema‘uma‘u (also seen in recent UAS footage of the crater) and inward slumping of a large portion of the western, southwestern, and northern crater rim. Much of this motion appears to be coincident with the small explosions from the summit that have taken place on a near daily basis over the past 3 weeks.” (Full-sized)
Things aren’t looking hopeful for HVO/Jaggar Museum, but they still have a chance. In order for Halema’uma’u to expand past the caldera wall, “the caldera bounding faults would need to activate – hasn’t happened yet. It’s still a feature within [Kilauea] caldera.” — @USGSVolcanoes

USGS: “Halema‘uma‘u viewed toward the west during the June 18 helicopter overflight. HVO and Jaggar Museum can barely be seen on the caldera rim in the upper right of the photograph.” (Full-sized) (Same photo with labels)

Compare with this April 2018 photo, with camera position slightly farther away, more to the left of the photo above, and facing northwest instead of west:

Kilauea caldera, April 13, 2018. The lake level has been relatively high over the past several weeks and intermittently visible from the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Jaggar Museum Overlook. The museum and HVO are perched on the caldera rim (middle right), with the slopes of Mauna Loa visible in the background.” (Full-sized)

Question on Facebook: Will it ever refill with lava?
USGS: “A lava lake occupied nearly the entirety of Halema‘uma‘u Crater before the 1924 eruption – the crater was half the size it was prior to May 2018. The lava lake drained in 1924 as magma intruded into the Lower East Rift Zone, and the crater collapsed and grew. However, this is the largest scale collapse of Halema‘uma‘u that we’ve witnessed in historic time. Yes, it will refill with lava – Kīlauea is in a very young stage of its life and it’s still building itself. Eruptions of lava will return to the summit, but it may take many years.”

Lower EAst Rift Zone Maps
USGS Map from June 19, 2018, 1pm. (Full-sized)
USGS: “This thermal map shows the fissure system and lava flows as of 6 am on Saturday, June 19. The fountain at Fissure 8 remains active, with the lava flow entering the ocean at Kapoho.The channel is very full and is overflowing to produce short pahoehoe lava flows that overtop the levees. Very small, weak spattering and short flows have been active near the Fissure 6 area.” (Full-sized)
From Other Scientists

(USGS said on FB that GPS station is still working, it’s just dropped out of line-of-sight from the radio receiver on HVO’s tower.)

2018 Eruption SYNOPSIS/Summary

I don’t usually quote anybody but USGS scientists because of copyright, but this excellent comment by “Sherri Dean Taylor” is going to be lost in the abyss of Facebook. (Based on other remarks, I believe she may be a geology grad student). In the comment section after USGS posted the latest photos of Halema’uma’u cracking and slumping:

Sherri Dean Traylor: It seems like the question of the day is how long and how much (and where) is the subsidence.
Key to this question is how big is the summit magma chamber and where is it located. This paper has a pretty good explanation of what we think is down there. In summary, the best guess is a .2 cubic km upper magma reservoir at 1km depth and a similar sized lower reservoir at 4km depth. .13 cubic km have erupted from the east rift zone so far. Clearly some of the magma has come from the upper magma reservoir, how much is unknown.
The where is known (sort of), and that is directly below and slightly east of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The deeper chamber is south of Halemaʻumaʻu. Answering the questions. I would expect continued earthquakes and subsidence as long as the erz is so active, as the upper chamber is far from empty and magma is being supplied from the summit. The new crater could get larger but not larger then the boundaries of the upper magma chamber; . As long as magma is being withdrawn from the summit, the show will go on. Sit back and enjoy. USGS Volcanoes feel free to comment and/or correct.

USGS Volcanoes: Good synopsis Sherri. The other thing to note is that space was created within the East Rift Zone when the magma bodies beneath Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and Makaopouhi were drained. Also the M6.9 earthquake (plus foreshock and aftershock sequence) probably opened up some space within the ERZ also. So, not only is magma being erupted from the LERZ, but there’s space for magma to fill within the rest of the ERZ. Summit will continue to subside and LERZ will continue to erupt as long as the system remains pressurized. At some point the pressure gradient will shift.”

Brief clip from Mick Kalber

 

MORE USGS Q&A on Social Media

Some figures from USGS Facebook and Twitter today:

  • Total volume erupted: approximately 250 million cubic meters, “with lots of error bars, because A LOT has entered the ocean.”
  • Height of levees within 1/2 mile of Fissure 8: 60 feet.
  • Eruption rate of Fissure 8: 100 meters cubed per second, which is ~26,000 gallons (or a little more).
  • Fissure 8 cone building began on the evening of May 27. 
  • Fissure 8’s lava channel is moving 7.7 m/s (17mph) near the vent.
USGS: “Fissure 8 lava fountains obscured by a longer exposure photograph taken early morning on June 18. The incandescent spots along a horizontal line mark the edge of the lava channel. A tongue of incandescent lava leads down to the right – a small overflow from the channel margin.” (Full-sized)

How safe is HVO? “The caldera wall near HVO seems stable for the moment (although we are watching closely…). But the huge number of earthquakes has damaged the building itself, and it is not safe to occupy.” Also: “[the subsidence/collapse] remains on the caldera floor below HVO. We haven’t seen really significant deformation on the caldera rim (there has been some tilting), but it’s something we’re keeping a close eye on.”

From Civil Defense

Standard alert, but BigIslandVideoNews found some excellent lava flow footage to accompany it.

From Local News Outlets

Photographers and Social Media

Three weeks ago, I captured this image of the lava fountain at fissure 8*. The fountain is about 170 feet high here. And three weeks later, it has build a cone that is about 170 feet. That’s 17 stories tall. The spatter from the lava fountain built a cone as large as the fountain in this image in three weeks. *I find the name “fissure 8” to be lame for such a formidable presence; this mighty vent which has been spewing out 26,000 gallons of lava per second for weeks, so I have been calling this “Pu’u ʻAilāʻau” This is just what I call it. My name for it. No disrespect to anyone. Some people call their wife “Honey”, though her name is Sue. Im just doing my thing. #leilani #puna #puuʻAilāʻau #kilauea #volcano #hawaii #gbradlewis #aloha

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20180618 Hawaii Army National Guard – Leilani Estates . Moku Street continues to be peppered with ash, reticulite, cinder, and Pele’s hair throughout the length of Leilani Avenue and Malama Street. Fumerole sites near the end of Moku Street continue to stream white steam and gas next to large, deep cracks severing the entire passage of asphalt. Quick visits to the entrances of Nohea and Luana Street on the southern (Malama Street) side of the fissure line revealed heavy amounts of gas wafting south to southwest. Views of Fissure 8’s large and vigorous lava channel streamed brightly with frequent aerial spatter reaching upwards of 20 feet were observed from a safe distance. The opposite side of Luana Street intersecting Kahukai Street revealed heavy thermals distorting a direct view of Fissure 8’s northeastern side vent. . Mahalo to Major Hickman and his @hawaiiarmynationalguard team for making it possible for us for us to safely document this eruption. We all share a great deal of gratitude for how much these media tours help our local community awareness. . All areas that I have documented throughout this eruptive series have been through approved with legal access. Please kokua and do not attempt to trespass in areas unless official approval has been granted. The majority of my efforts are without pay and all expenses are out of pocket. The content shared is being shared without cost to our local news networks for community awareness and support. Some footage does help to pay a very small portion of my expenses. . My respect and best wishes go out to the neighborhood of Leilani Estates, Lanipuna Gardens, and the areas within and between Kapoho. My heart especially goes out to all of my friends who have lost their homes in this fissure eruption. I am at a loss for words. ______ #leilani #lava #eruption #fissure #hawaiiarmynationalguard #bigisland #kilauea

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Part I of II – 20180617 Sanford Quarry – Hawaii Army National Guard . Expansive views of lava channels were observed tonight thanks to Major Hickman convoying us up to a precipice on the southern side of Sanford Quarry. Fissure 8 continued to produce an incredible volume of lava fountaining upwards of 165ft, vigorously traveling through wide, curved, and raised channels from Leilani Estates. Intertwining lava rivers from Fissure 8 streamed east around the north flank of Kapoho Cone with large, active pahoehoe lobes of spillover strewn throughout the channel’s edges. . Mahalo to Major Hickman and his @hawaii_armynationalguard team for making it possible for us for us to safely document this eruption. . All areas that I have documented throughout this eruptive series have been through approved with legal access. Please kokua and do not attempt to trespass in areas unless official approval has been granted. The majority of my efforts are without pay and all expenses are out of pocket. The content shared is being shared without cost to our local news networks for community awareness and support. Some footage does help to pay a very small portion of my expenses. . My respect and best wishes go out to the neighborhood of Leilani Estates, Lanipuna Gardens, and the areas within and between Kapoho. My heart especially goes out to all of my friends who have lost their homes in this fissure eruption. I am at a loss for words. ______ #eruption #bigisland #kapoho #lavaoceanentry #kilauea #eruption #leilani #puuhonuaopuna #nationalguard @hawaiinewsnow

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Part II of II – 20180617 Sanford Quarry – Hawaii Army National Guard . Expansive views of lava channels were observed tonight thanks to Major Hickman convoying us up to a precipice on the southern side of Sanford Quarry. Fissure 8 continued to produce an incredible volume of lava fountaining upwards of 165ft, vigorously traveling through wide, curved, and raised channels from Leilani Estates. Intertwining lava rivers from Fissure 8 streamed east around the north flank of Kapoho Cone with large, active pahoehoe lobes of spillover strewn throughout the channel’s edges. . Mahalo to Major Hickman and his @hawaii_armynationalguard team for making it possible for us for us to safely document this eruption. . All areas that I have documented throughout this eruptive series have been through approved with legal access. Please kokua and do not attempt to trespass in areas unless official approval has been granted. The majority of my efforts are without pay and all expenses are out of pocket. The content shared is being shared without cost to our local news networks for community awareness and support. Some footage does help to pay a very small portion of my expenses. . My respect and best wishes go out to the neighborhood of Leilani Estates, Lanipuna Gardens, and the areas within and between Kapoho. My heart especially goes out to all of my friends who have lost their homes in this fissure eruption. I am at a loss for words. ______ #eruption #bigisland #kapoho #lavaoceanentry #kilauea #eruption #leilani #puuhonuaopuna #nationalguard @hawaiinewsnow

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Oh good, one with sounds — and not a helicopter for a change. I know those tree frogs are invasive, but I love their music.

20180618 Hawaii Army National Guard – Leilani Estates . Moku Street continues to be peppered with ash, reticulite, cinder, and Pele’s hair throughout the length of Leilani Avenue and Malama Street. Fumerole sites near the end of Moku Street continue to stream white steam and gas next to large, deep cracks severing the entire passage of asphalt. Quick visits to the entrances of Nohea and Luana Street on the southern (Malama Street) side of the fissure line revealed heavy amounts of gas wafting south to southwest. Views of Fissure 8’s large and vigorous lava channel streamed brightly with frequent aerial spatter reaching upwards of 20 feet were observed from a safe distance. The opposite side of Luana Street intersecting Kahukai Street revealed heavy thermals distorting a direct view of Fissure 8’s northeastern side vent. . Mahalo to Major Jeff Hickman and his @hawaii_armynationalguard team for making it possible for us for us to safely document this eruption. We all share a great deal of gratitude for how much these media tours help our local community awareness. It was also great to finally be in the field with Ryan Finlay from our Hawaii Tracker community group page! All areas that I have documented throughout this eruptive series have been through approved with legal access. Please kokua and do not attempt to trespass in areas unless official approval has been granted. The majority of my efforts are without pay and all expenses are out of pocket. The content shared is being shared without cost to our local news networks for community awareness and support. Some footage does help to pay a very small portion of my expenses. . My respect and best wishes go out to the neighborhood of Leilani Estates, Lanipuna Gardens, and the areas within and between Kapoho. My heart especially goes out to all of my friends who have lost their homes in this fissure eruption. I am at a loss for words. _____ #eruption #leilani #bigisland #kapoho #kilauea #fissure @hawaiinewsnow #geology #volcano #puuhonuaopuna

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