South West Weather

Hawaii Volcano National Park - Current Update

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY UPDATE

Saturday, September 4, 2010 6:42 AM HST (Saturday, September 4, 2010 16:42 UTC)

This report on the status of Kilauea volcanic activity, in addition to maps, photos, and Webcam images (available using the menu bar above), was prepared by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park status can be found at http://www.nps.gov/havo/ or 985-6000. Hawai`i County Viewing Area status can be found at 961-8093. All times are Hawai`i Standard Time.

KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-01-)
19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary for past 24 hours: Inflation was ongoing while Kilauea eruptive activity continued at two locations. In the east rift zone, lava flowed from the TEB vent through tubes to supply one ocean entry and no surface flows in Kalapana. The summit eruptive vent within Halema`uma`u Crater hosted a lava pond that produced red glow visible from the Jaggar Museum overnight. Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the summit and east rift zone vents remained elevated.

Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: The summit tiltmeter network recorded about 2 microradians of continued inflation. The network of GPS receivers recorded overall extension across the summit, focused most intensely in the south caldera, since early March, 2010. Four earthquakes were strong enough to be located beneath Kilauea volcano - three beneath the upper east rift zone and one offshore on south flank faults.

The crusted and circulating lava surface at the bottom of the deep collapse pit inset in the southeast edge of Halema`uma`u Crater rose slowly and leveled off at about 165 m (540 ft) below the crater floor last night. Seismic tremor levels were at elevated and variable values typical of the last several weeks. The lava lit up the gas plume and, when weather permitted, the glow was visible from the Jaggar Museum Overlook overnight.

The summit gas plume was robust and moving to the southwest this morning. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 800 tonnes/day on September 3, still elevated above the 2003-2007 (pre-summit eruption) average of 140 tonnes/day. Small amounts of ash-sized tephra continued to be wafted up with the gas plume and deposited on nearby surfaces.

Past 24 hours at the middle east rift zone vents: The tiltmeter on the north flank of Pu`u `O`o recorded a little less than 4 microradians of inflation. GPS receivers on and around Pu`u `O`o cone recorded contraction between June 16 and July 5 and possible weak extension since. Seismic tremor levels remained low. Points of incandescence on an active hornito located on the north portion of the floor (near camera side) within Pu`u `O`o crater have been glowing persistently since Aug. 4th.

The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement from east rift zone vents was 400 tonnes/day on September 2, 2010, much lower than the 2003-2007 (pre-summit eruption) average of 1,700 tonnes/day but typical of the low rates since early March, 2010.

Lava from the TEB vent flowed through tubes that carried lava down-slope entering the ocean through the Puhi-o-Kalaikini delta. Faint thermal anomalies on the GOES-WEST imagery suggest little to no surface activity through dawn on the coastal plain.

HAZARD ALERT: The lava deltas and adjacent areas both inland and out to sea are some of the most hazardous areas on the flow field. Frequent delta/bench collapses give little warning, can produce hot rock falls inland and in the adjacent coastal waters, and can produce large local waves. The steam plume produced by lava entering the ocean contains fine lava fragments and an assortment of acid droplets that can be harmful to your health. The rapidly changing conditions near the ocean entry have been responsible for many injuries and a few deaths.

Kalapana Public Access Information from Hawai`i County Civil Defense: Kalapana Gardens is a private subdivision and access will only be granted to subdivision residents. Private property borders highway 130 through Kalapana and no one is allowed access off the highway easement. Hawai`i County Police will be monitoring the area. Hawai`i County Viewing Area status can be found at 961-8093.

Maps, photos, Webcam views, and other information about Kilauea Volcano are available at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php. A daily update summary is available by phone at (808) 967-8862.

A map with details of earthquakes located within the past two weeks can be found at http://tux.wr.usgs.gov/

A definition of alert levels can be found at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/alertsystem/index.php

Definitions of Terms Used:

Inflating surface flow: is a lava flow that may not advance but continues to thicken as its top and bottom crusts grow around a continuously replenished molten interior. This can be visualized as a large flat bladder of molten lava that could burst along its edges at any time.

Hakuma horst: a horst is an section of earth that is raised between two nearly parallel faults so that its surface is higher than the surrounding ground. The Hakuma horst is located along the coast west of Kalapana; it was responsible for diverting lava through Kalapana village in 1990 and appears to be having a similar influence on lava flows in 2010.

Halema`uma`u Overlook vent: has been difficult to describe concisely. The vent is actually a pit, or crater, in the floor of the larger Halema`uma`u Crater in the floor of the larger Kilauea caldera or crater - a crater within a crater within a crater. It is easiest to describe as a pit inset within the floor of a crater within a caldera. The pit is about 140 m (460 ft) in diameter at the Halema`uma`u Crater floor, is about 50 m in diameter at the pit floor, and is about 200 m (660 ft) deep. As of November, 2009, a lava pond surface has been visible in a hole in the floor of this pit.

glow: light from an unseen source; indirect light.

incandescence: the production of visible light from a hot surface. The term also refers to the light emitted from a hot surface. The color of the light is related to surface temperature. Some surfaces can display dull red incandescence at temperatures as low as 430 degrees Centigrade (806 degrees Fahrenheit). By contrast, molten lava displays bright orange to orange-yellow light from surfaces that are hotter than 900 degrees C (1,650 degrees F).

CD: Hawai`i County Civil Defense

tonne: metric unit equal to 1,000 kilograms, 2,204.6 lbs, or 1.1 English tons.

tephra: all material deposited by fallout from an eruption-related plume, regardless of size.

ash: tephra less than 2 mm (5/64 inches) in size.

TEB: Thanksgiving Eve Breakout, the designation used for lava flows that started with a breakout on November 21, 2007.

microradian: a measure of angle equivalent to 0.000057 degrees.

DI tilt event: DI is an abbreviation for 'deflation-inflation' and describes a volcanic event of uncertain significance. DI events are recorded by tiltmeters at Kilauea summit as an abrupt deflation of up to a few microradians in magnitude lasting several hours to 2-3 days followed by an abrupt inflation of approximately equal magnitude. The tilt events are usually accompanied by an increase in summit tremor during the deflation phase. A careful analysis of these events suggests that they may be related to changes in magma supply to a storage reservoir at less than 1 km depth, just east of Halema`uma`u crater. Usually, though not always, these changes propagate through the magma conduit from the summit to the eruption site, as many of the DI events at Kilauea summit are also recorded at a tiltmeter at Pu`u `O`o, delayed by 1-2 hours. DI events often correlate with lava pulses and/or pauses in the eruption at the Pu`u `O`o/July 21/TEB vents.

More definitions with photos can be found at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/images/pglossary/index.php.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is one of five volcano observatories within the U.S. Geological Survey and is responsible for monitoring volcanoes and earthquakes in Hawai`i. Source: Kilauea Volcano Observatory



Information courtesy of ...
U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO).
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
Cascade Range Current Update
USGS Alert-Notification System for Volcanic Activity
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Volcano Observatories: Cascades
Volcano Observatories: Hawaii
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