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Images and Chronology

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10 August 2009

Thermal video showing the new gas vent in Halema`uma`u cavity

This Quicktime movie shows the new gas vent which opened yesterday on the floor of the cavity in Halema`uma`u. Following this reawakening, very faint glow was observed last night for the first time since July 4.

7 August 2009

Breakouts in Royal Gardens subdivision and a small skylight over the lava tube

Left. Breakouts in Royal Gardens subdivision continued this week on both the eastern and western margins of the TEB flow field. The western breakout, shown here, has cut two swaths through the forest and reached the base of pali. The flow, which was active this morning, crosses Plumeria Street about 400 yards east of the last occupied structure (red roof in upper left of image) in the subdivision. Right. A small skylight over the lava tube on the coastal plain.

Cool thermal/visible image of active flows in Royal Gardens

This image shows the distribution of active flows in Royal Gardens. In the thermal image (top), active flows are shown as yellow. Two major breakout areas are easily visible in the thermal image. The western breakout has cut through vegetation to reach the base of the pali, with the flow front marked by letter A. The eastern breakout has expanded the eastern margin of the flow field (point C), with the flow front at the base of the pali (point B). Pu`u `Ō `ō can be seen fuming in the distance, in the upper left of the photograph.

31 July 2009

Cool aerial views of Halema`uma`u and Pu`u `Ō `ō crater

Left. View looking southeast toward Kīlauea's broad summit shield from above the northeast rift of Mauna Loa. The wimpy plume from the vent in Halema'uma'u crater is just above center frame. Right. Zoomed-in view of Kīlauea's summit and the plume from the vent in Halema'uma'u.

Left. Aerial view looking east toward across Kīlauea's summit caldera toward the plume from Halema'uma'u. The summit and enormous southwest flank of Mauna Loa is in the background. Right. Looking down at the vent in Halema'uma'u. The partly-destroyed overlook fence is to the right and about 85 m (280 ft) above the vent opening in the crater floor. The vent opening is 132 m (430 ft) across measured from the lower left side to the upper right side of the photo. The opening is 125 m (410 ft) across measured from lower right to upper left. This view shows how crater floor on the north (upper left) side of the opening remains considerably overhung.

Left. View looking south into Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. Heavy fume prevents decent views into the crater, so this is about as good as it gets.Right. View of the heavily fuming TEB vent on Kīlauea's east rift zone. Lava erupts beneath this vent and enter the lava tube system—the string of fume sources leading off into the distance—before being visible at the surface. The tube system carries the lava to the ocean, about 11.5 km (7 miles) away, where it forms the Waikupanaha ocean entry.

Left. Lava breakouts have been active over the past week on the west side of the TEB flow field in the upper part of Royal Gardens. These are the lightest-colored flows in the upper right quadrant of the photo. A deflation/inflation cycle (DI event) at Kīlauea's summit overnight resulted in a slow-down in activity on the flow field, so there was only minor surface activity today. The flows are coming down to the east of the last occasionally-occupied house in the subdivision (the red-roofed structure in the photo).Right. Despite the slow-down in activity this morning, lava continues to enter the ocean at Waikupanaha where a small, unstable delta clings to the sea cliff. Fume and white staining at least partly traces the tube system upslope to the Royal Gardens subdivision on the slope in the upper left-hand side of the photo. Fume from the TEB vent is on the skyline just above the pali, and Pu`u `Ō `ō is the small cone on the skyline on the left edge of the photo.

29 July 2009

Large plume at Waikupanaha ocean entry and sampling from a large skylight

Left. Wide shot of the TEB flow field on the pali. Breakouts continue on the east and west flow field margins, along with minor activity in the interior. Right. The Waikupanaha ocean entry continues to produce a large plume, while the Kupapa`u entry (not pictured) remains inactive following last week's DI event on July 19.

Left. Large skylight just below the split in the main TEB lava tube. The Waikupanaha ocean entry plume is in the background. Right. Geologist using the head of a sledge hammer attached to a cable to sample from the skylight.

23 July 2009

Active surface flows in Royal Gardens subdivision and cool view of the channel forming a tube

Left. Scattered surface flows continued to be active on the pali in Royal Gardens subdivision. This flow was fed by a small, steep channel in the upper left of the photograph. Portions of the flow were invading adjacent forest, sparking small fires.Right. A narrow channel directs lava down the pali into a small breakout.

Left. A close-up view of the channel, which is beginning to crust over to form a tube. Right. Another portion of the breakout, where lava cascades over a small break in slope.

16 July 2009

Small breakout near top of Royal Gardens subdivision and Waikupanaha ocean entry

Left. A small breakout near the top of the Royal Gardens subdivision was burning trees near a remnant of Ali'i Avenue this morning. This breakout was coming from the western branch of the lava tube system which is the branch that supplies the Kupapa'u ocean entry. The lighter-colored lava from a breakout that approached Ali'i Avenue a few weeks ago is visible just upslope from the active flow.Right. Most of the active flows in recent weeks have been concentrated on the mid to lower pali in, and to the east of, Royal Gardens. In the past week, some of this activity followed the eastern margin of the TEB flow field, destroying yet another house in the subdivision. Compare this photo with similarly oriented photos from July 1 and June 26. The destroyed house is just a hair up and to the left of the image center.

Left. This up-slope view shows the new flows that expanded the eastern margin of the TEB flow field. The destroyed house is just below and to the right image center.Right. In this close-up of the burned structure, notice how the metal roofing is on top of the lava. The lava had apparently flowed through this part of the building, which was probably a garage, before the framing completely burned and the roof collapsed.

Left. Despite an abundance of surface activity on the pali, there is still enough flow to supply lava to two ocean entries—Waikupanaha in the foreground and Kupapa'u in the distance. The lower terrace of the Waikupanaha delta seaward of the main sea cliff scarp is about 225 m (245 yards) long and extends 75 m (80 yards) out into the water. The main scarp, as well as the smaller scarp on the lower terrace, were created by delta collapses over the past several months.Right. A beautiful breakout was active on the Waikupanaha delta when we flew over this morning. The lava was pouring into the ocean and creating small littoral explosions that tossed fragmented lava into the air.

10 July 2009

TEB flow field in the upper part of Royal Gardens subdivision

Left. View of the TEB flow field in the upper part of the Royal Gardens subdivision. The only active lava flows seen this morning, visible at the center of the photo, were burning trees along the east side of the TEB flow field. The TEB tube and vent are the fume sources in the background. Right. Ground view of lava flows slowly consuming a small forested kipuka.

4 July 2009

Happy Fourth of July!

Quicktime movie of Halema`uma`u showing the lava surface deep within the cavity

This Quicktime movie shows the lava surface deep within the Halema`uma`u cavity. The lava surface is relatively sluggish, with little movement and only one spattering source.

Left. View of the lava surface within the Halema`uma`u cavity showing a crusted lava surface with spattering from a single source along the northeast margin. Right. A long exposure taken a little later reveals more of the lava surface.

3 July 2009

Quicktime movie of Halema`uma`u showing spattering and sloshing at the ponded lava surface

This Quicktime movie shows a source of minor spattering at the margin of the ponded lava surface within the Halema`uma`u cavity. Weak sloshing of the lava surface can be seen around the spattering source.

1 July 2009

East rift zone eruption site from vent to ocean entry

Left. View of the east rift zone eruption site from vent to ocean entry. The TEB vent, where the lava erupts and enters the lava tube system, is the large fume source in foreground. The prominent plumes in the background are the ocean entries, with the larger Waikupanaha entry to the left of the smaller Kupapa`u entry. The smaller fume sources between the vent and the ocean entries define the trace of the lava tube system carrying lava across the upper flow field. Right. For the last several weeks, lava flows have been advancing along the eastern side of the active flow field-that part of the flow field created since July 21, 2007, when the current vent first erupted. These flows, seen here as the silvery flows in the center of the photo, remain active near the base of the pali on the eastern edge of the Royal Gardens subdivision. The unoccupied house seen in the photo remains safe for now.

Kīlauea's summit in perspective to smaller view of Halema`uma`u crater

Left. Only minor activity, such as that shown here, was active on Thursday morning (July 1), but Civil Defense officials reported that the amount of activity had increased substantially by nightfall. Right. The active vent at Kīlauea's summit looks relatively small from this perspective, occupying only small portion of the southeast side of Halema`uma`u crater.

Left. The visitor overlook-the brown fence at the top of the cliff above the vent opening-offers a sense of scale to the actual size of the summit vent. Right. A wispy plume from the summit vent, a consequence of the collapses that occurred on Tuesday, June 30, allowed aerial views into the vent. The Halema`uma`u crater wall is on the left side of the photo with the crater floor to the right. A talus slope is visible extending down from the base of the cliff on the left (southeast) side of the vent to a deeper opening on the right (northwest) side of the vent. Rubble is barely visible within this deeper opening where the lava surface had been visible prior to the collapses.

Before and after collapses of Halema`uma`u crater

Left. A comparison of photos from before and after the collapses, taken by a time-lapse camera positioned on the NE rim of Halema`uma`u Crater, show considerable expansion of the vent opening. The black line in this image shows the shape of the vent rim a few days before the collapses. The vent is now 123 meters (404 feet) wide from this perspective, having increased by 23 meters (75 feet). Right. A comparison of photos from before and after the collapses, taken by a time-lapse camera in the HVO observation tower, also show considerable expansion of the vent opening. Again, the black line in this image shows the shape of the vent rim a few days before the collapses. The vent is now 132 meters (430 feet) wide from this view, representing an increase of 9 meters (30 feet).

30 June 2009

Widening of Halema`uma`u vent from a series of collapses

Left. On Tuesday afternoon, June 30, a series of collapses within the vent in Halema`uma`u led to considerable widening of the vent and choked the vent with rubble. This photo is of the ash cloud from the initial collapse at 1:39 pm. Right. A time-lapse camera about 300 meters (yards) northeast of the vent captured this ash cloud, from a collapse at 2:20 pm, just at it emerged from the vent.

'Nightshot' mode Quicktime movie of lava surface within the cavity of Halema`uma`u

This Quicktime movie shows the lava surface within the cavity at Halema`uma`u. Keeping an eye on the lower left portion of the screen, one can see a large rock impacting the lava surface. This impact appears to trigger degassing and overturning that migrates across a large portion of the lava surface.

29 June 2009

Awesome early morning view of glow in Halema`uma`u crater

Left. Early morning view of glow from the vent in Halema`uma`u crater. Right. Closer view of glow from the vent in Halema`uma`u crater.

Breakouts in the Royal Gardens subdivision

Left. Over the past several days, breakouts in the Royal Gardens subdivision have continued to expand the east margin of the flow field. The flows are slowly covering what is left of several small kipuka. Right. Another view of the active flows as they continue toward the coastal plain. The shiny flow through the center of the kipuka is no longer active, but the three shiny lobes to the right continue to expand the margin.

26 June 2009

Silvery patches dot the flow field

Left. Dozens of small breakouts, seen here as the silvery patches, dot the flow field near the top of the Royal Gardens subdivision. Tuberose Street and Pakalana Street, which would cross the photo from top to bottom, are buried somewhere beneath these flows. Right. Active flows narrowly missed this abandoned house just off of Queen Avenue between Plumeria Street and Paradise Street.

Left. View looking up at the TEB flow field where it crossed through the center of the Royal Gardens subdivision on Pūlama pali. Right. This abandoned house, just off of Paradise Street between Royal Avenue and King Avenue, was burned by lava-sparked fires months ago but buried by new flows in the past few weeks. All that remains are the water tanks, completely surrounded by lava.

Left. Fragments of pāhoehoe lava, tossed by helicopter rotor wash, get blown into this skylight near the top of Royal Gardens subdivision. Right. Lava continues to pour into the ocean at the Waikupanaha and Kupapa'u ocean entries.

Left. Lava samples, for chemical analyses, are collected nearly each week using little more than a rock hammer and a bucket of water. Right. The molten lava, when collected, is about 1150 oC (2100 oF) and instantly boils air-temperature water.

25 June 2009

'Nightshot' mode Quicktime movie of Halema`uma`u crusted lava surface and occasional spatter

This Quicktime movie shows activity of the lava surface deep within the Halema`uma`u cavity. The crusted lava surface is moving slowly from northeast to southwest, with occasional bursts of spatter from the margins and cracks. The first half of the movie is shown at actual speed, with the second half shown at x10 speed to convey the sense of movement and illustrate the oscillations of the lava surface.

23 June 2009

Tephra collectors collect typical daily sample and depict a cute smiley face

Left. A typical daily sample from one of the tephra collectors near the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent. The samples collected are often small in amount, and dominantly ash sized (< 2 mm, or < 0.08 in). The collector id, time, and date collected are noted on the sample bag. Right. Several pieces of tephra were picked from the sample in the previous picture to show an example of the material found in the collectors. When the lava level in the vent is high, there are usually spheres, tears, and hair in the sample. The white pieces in the picture are lithic fragments, which are also found in the collectors and come from the walls of the vent opening. Since the tephra is so small, this image was taken with a microscope camera. The tick marks on the top are 1 mm (0.04 in) apart.

22 June 2009

'Nightshot' mode Quicktime movie of Halema`uma`u crusted and sluggish lava surface

This Quicktime movie shows the lava surface within the Halema`uma`u cavity, again using 'nightshot' mode to see through the fume. The lava surface this evening was considerably more crusted and sluggish than on previous nights, and had risen a minor amount compared to much of last week. The lava migrates from the top of screen towards the bottom, with occasional bubble bursts disrupting the surface.

19 June 2009

TEB lava tube breakout and finger of pāhoehoe invades Royal Gardens

Left. A breakout, active over the past several weeks, from the TEB lava tube overruns more of Royal Gardens subdivision, burning vegetation and burying abandoned structures. In the distant upper left is the TEB vent, with a line of fuming sources tracing the path of the lava tube. In the lower right is the intersection of Queen Avenue and Orchid Street. Right. A finger of pāhoehoe invades and buries an abandoned structure in Royal Gardens, near Queen Avenue, as other fingers ignite nearby vegetation.

Left. An HVO geologist takes a sample of lava from an active pāhoehoe lobe in the upper reaches of Royal Gardens subdivision. Right. The two ocean entries—Waikupanaha and Kupapa`u—remained active this week. This photo shows several small streams of lava entering the water at the front of the Waikupanaha delta.

17 June 2009

'Nightshot' mode Quicktime movie of Halema`uma`u rolling lava surface

This Quicktime movie shows the roiling lava surface within the cavity in Halema`uma`u. The video was captured in 'nightshot' mode in order to see through the fume, which obscured viewing by the naked eye. Vigorous upwelling occurs in the northeast (upper right) corner of the opening, with the southwest corner consisting of passively sloshing, and partly crusted lava.

13 June 2009

Quicktime movie of Halema`uma`u lava lake draining event

This Quicktime movie shows a draining event in the Halema`uma`u lava lake. Filling and draining cycles have been observed before here, but this video is one of the clearest examples thus far. The video is shown at actual speed, with draining taking about 40 seconds. Note the draining is highly unsteady, and proceeds in a step-wise fashion. These cycles of filling and draining are due to the episodic release of accumulated gas in the conduit.

11 June 2009

Active terminus in Royal Gardens and large plumes from Waikupanaha and Kupapa`u ocean entries

Left. Geologist replaces an existing time-lapse camera after several recent camera failures. The camera looks at the current ocean entries of Waikupanaha (left) and Kupapa`u (right). Right. The terminus of an active portion of a breakout from the May 29 DI event. The lava is burning trees and shrubs as it flows through the Royal Gardens subdivision.

Left. The Waikupanaha and Kupapa`u ocean entries continue to produce moderate to large steam plumes. The county viewing area is visible between the groups of trees in the lower right corner of the photograph. Right. A close-up of several lava streams entering the ocean at Waikupanaha.

8 June 2009

Picturesque view of Halema`uma`u crater

Good weather allows for a clear view of Halema`uma`u crater and the eruption plume.

4 June 2009

Another rare look into Halema`uma`u crater

This Quicktime video shows another rare view of the active lava surface deep within the cavity in Halema`uma`u crater. The lava is approximately 100 m below the floor of Halema`uma`u. The lava surface is disrupted by waves, splashes, bubbling and upwelling, with overall lava movement from the upper right to the lower left.

Small breakout near Kupapa`u ocean entry and at Royal Gardens subdivision

Left. A deflation-inflation (DI) event produced a surge of lava over the past several days, creating a small breakout on the coastal plain, a few hundred meters inland from the Kupapa`u ocean entry. The breakout appears as two silvery fingers, one of which has reached the sea cliff. Between the two fingers, an area of active fuming marks the location of the lava tube feeding the ocean entry.Right. The surge of lava over the past several days has also created a breakout at the top of Royal Gardens subdivision. Today, the breakout was still active, and was feeding a number of small channelized pāhoehoe flows radiating out from the breakout point.

Left. In this close-up view of the breakout at the top of Royal Gardens, a vigorous lobe of pāhoehoe - fed by a small channel upstream - advances over older flows. Right. An HVO geologist collects a fresh sample of the active breakout at the top of Royal Gardens, using a rock hammer and water bucket for quenching. Because the lava was coming directly out of the tube, it was remarkably gas-rich, and had the consistency of marshmallow fluff.

Gas sampling site on Halema`uma`u Crater

Left. Geologist sampling gas from a fumarole on the north side of Halema`uma`u Crater. Right. A second gas sampling site on the west side of Halema`uma`u Crater, informally called the "smiley face fumarole."

3 June 2009

Rare view into Halema`uma`u vent

Left. Conditions provided a rare view of active lava in the Halema`uma`u vent. This photograph is looking down into the cavity, and gives a sense of how deep the lava was. The small area of active, circulating lava was about 100 meters below the crater floor. Right. Close-up view of the active lava surface. Lava was emerging in the upper right and flowing at a remarkable rate towards the lower left, where it would disappear from sight.

Awesome Quicktime movie of Halema`uma`u crater

This Quicktime movie shows the behavior of the active lava at the base of the cavity in Halema`uma`u crater. Lava emerged in the upper right and flowed towards the lower left. The surface was disrupted by a chaos of waves, splashes, bubble bursts and spattering. The video is shown at actual speed.

Eruption-viewing opportunities change constantly, so refer to this page often. Those readers planning a visit to Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes can get much useful information from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.