May 7-9: Fissures Slow Down (For Now)

Fissures continued to open, but mostly emitted slow, sticky lava that didn’t travel far. Leilani residents continued to be allowed back during the daytime.

Video: lava flow eats Mustang (dead battery; owner left it to focus on rescuing other possessions), another flow pushes through metal gate.  These slow-moving, clumpy, clanking flows that pile up like a rocky bulldozer are “a’a” lava.

More fissure news/Videos from May 7 until 10:
  • May 7: USGS Status Report (12 fissures total by afternoon)
  • May 8: Mike Kalber video of Fissure 13 steaming, spattering
  • May 8-9: Good article from Hononulu Star-Advertiser (videos, detailed info on progress of eruption, evacuations)
  • May 8: Evening Civil Defense Update from Big Island Video News with lava footage. 14 fissures by day’s end.
  • May 9: Video – Mike Kalber flyover of fissure eruptions; today steaming, not much lava
  • May 9: Video clips – Steaming fissures sound like they’re breathing,  huff and puff
  • 15 fissures by end of May 9, cracks (but not lava) open W. of Highway 130, back up rift zone.
  • Fissure eruptions pause on May 10. Briefly.

May 5-6 Weekend: Fissures in Leilani

panorama of street intersection showing low wall of cooled lava and spatter in distance, cutting across roads and into trees
From USGS Website: “Panoramic view of fissure 7 from the intersection of Leilani and Makamae Streets in the Leilani Estates subdivision. This photo was taken at 06:01 a.m. HST today.”

Evacuated residents of Leilani Estates were allowed back on Sunday May 6 to collect vital documents, pets and possessions. New fissures  continued to open up and spatter, and officials warned about toxic sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) coming from fissures as well.

From USGS Photo/Video blog: “Bubble burst” from fissure 7, morning May 5.
WEEKEND LAVA VIDEOS, images, news, INFO:

Continue reading May 5-6 Weekend: Fissures in Leilani

May 5: Pu’u O’o, Before and After

Screencaps from Mick Kalber flyover videos April 28 and May 4(?) as noted by @ReelNewsHawaii on Twitter.

May 4: USGS Scientist Explains First 24 Hours of Eruption

HVO Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal gave an EXCELLENT evening briefing on the first 24 hours of the Leilani Estates Eruption, explaining very clearly what was happening and why.

[Big Island Video News, overlaid with video from Mick Kalber flyover]

Powerpoint slide summary of TALK:
  • 6 fissures in first 24 hours — more are expected
  • No lava flows extending more than tens of yards so far — flows are expected
  • Magma intrusion into LERZ [Lower East Rift Zone] is continuing
  • High levels of sulfur dioxide gas [SO2] near fissures and downwind
  • More Magnitude 5+ earthquakes possible as volcano adjusts to intrusion
Excerpts from this Briefing:

Continue reading May 4: USGS Scientist Explains First 24 Hours of Eruption

May 4: First Full Day of Eruption, 6.9 Earthquake

Friday was a busy day. Starting before sunrise, more fissures erupted (USGS night video). Here’s a USGS video of Fissure 3: first cracks, then steam, and eventually lava spatter.

At 12:33PM. a magnitude 6.9 earthquake knocked out power to some customers, agitated the summit lava lake (video clip), sent up yet more ash from Pu’u O’o (video clip), and caused minor local sea level fluctuations (Good article: Honolulu Star-Advertiser). Also see informative HVO Volcano Watch photo essay.

Below: Interview of HVO geologist Jim Kauahikaua, prior to 6.9 quake. Big Island Video News added lava footage from David Corrigan, Mick Kalber, Ikaika Marzo.

Excerpts from above interview:

Continue reading May 4: First Full Day of Eruption, 6.9 Earthquake

May 3: First Fissure Eruption Begins

After 2 days of earthquakes and cracks indicating magma was moving down the Lower East Rift Zone, the first fissure opened in Leilani Estates at about 5PM HST, Thursday, May 3, 2018.

Big Island News posted a 10PM video update with video footage accompanying a May 3 civil defense advisory:

Leilani Estates is about 11 miles downrift from Pu’u O’o, in the Puna District.

Maps, Videos (including drone video), INFO…

Continue reading May 3: First Fissure Eruption Begins

May 3: Earthquakes, Empty Pu’u O’o

Foggy/rainy weather had limited visibility, but the skies cleared May 3. A USGS overflight revealed the crater was completely drained:

USGS Overflight reveals drained crater of Pu’u O’o. From HVO Photo & Video Chronology blog. Full Size image is worth seeing.

At 10:30 AM, a magnitude-5 earthquake caused more of the crater to collapse, throwing up a cloud of pink ash.

Pu’u O’o crater sends up cloud of ash after M5.0 earthquake. HVO Photo/Video blog. Again, Full-sized image is dramatic.

Pu’u O’o crater sends up cloud of ash after M5.0 earthquake. HVO Photo/Video blog. Again, Full-sized image is dramatic.

See also Mick Kalber’s May 2 flyover video.

Meanwhile, increased seismicity at the summit coincided with the summit lava lake changing from inflation to deflation— this is when it began to drop (source: HVO Volcano Watch).

May 1: Pu’u O’o’s Pink Ash Plume

On May 1st, the night after Pu’u O’o’s floor fell in, the newly-drained crater was sending up a huge plume of pink ash.*

Source: Mick Kalber of Tropical Visions, flying with Paradise Helicopters, annotated by Big Island Video News. Here’s Mick’s observations about this flyover on his vimeo page).

MORE VIDEO, LINKS, INFO ON PLUME:

Continue reading May 1: Pu’u O’o’s Pink Ash Plume

Apr 30: Pu’u O’o Crater Collapse

The floor of Pu’u O’o collapsed in stages starting at 2PM in the afternoon and evening of April 30. Poor weather, fog and clouds obscured the view, but the thermal webcam positioned on Pu’u O’o’s  north rim captured it. Timelapse April 28-May 1:

This isn’t the first time it’s collapsed. Here’s a regular webcam timelapse movie of Pu’u O’o’s crater floor collapsing on March 5, 2011.

So there’s a chance the lava may return.