Images

A close-up of the flow front in the forest.

Lava from the erupting fissure produced a large flow that is moving southeast through the adjacent forest.

Lava was reaching heights above the tree line.

A view of the spattering source from the ground.

On the west end of the fissure system, spatter ramparts are forming as the lava fallout solidifies in a mound upwind from the source.

A broad view of the Kamoamoa fissures. The fissures extend 2.3 km (1.4 mi) between Nāpau Crater and Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The western most fissure is just out of view in this photo.

Measuring the flow thickness from another section of the ‘A‘ā flow, using a 1 m (3.2 ft) orange pole for scale.

The east rift zone eruption is currently in a hiatus. The east and west Kamoamoa fissures are still fuming, but no lava is erupting. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is the fuming cone in the background.

Fume from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō has diminished enough to see a portion of the rubble-filled crater floor.

Gobs of spatter solidified in the remaining trees. The spatter was erupted from the first fissure to open on March 5.

Ground cracks between the east and west Kamoamoa fissure segments. Geologist is about 6 ft tall.

This thermal image was taken from a helicopter above the active fountains at the west end of the fissure system. There were two adjacent fountaining areas, with one situated within a spatter cone and the other bursting through a perched lava pond. The fountains were feeding a channelized flow that can be seen in the upper right portion of the image.

This thermal image shows the channelized ‘A‘ā flow that was being fed by the fountains at the west end of the fissure system today. Near the end of the flow, the channel empties into the delta-like flow front.

The eastern vent complex of the Kamoamoa eruption was inactive today, but it continues to emit a thick gas plume.

The western vent complex continues to erupt, and had been doing so for about 30 hours as of the time of this photo. Lava erupting from the vent complex is flowing into a channel with levees.

The channelized flow from the western vent complex advanced significantly downslope through forest within the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Measuring the thickness of an ‘A‘ā flow produced by the Kamoamoa fissure eruption. The measuring stick is 2 m (6.5 ft) tall.

A massive earthquake, and subsequent tsunami, struck the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, March 11, 2011. The USGS calculated the magnitude of the earthquake as a 9.0, the fourth largest ever recorded. The tsunami that followed was over 10 meters high in places.

New fissure eruption SW of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō between Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and Nāpau crater. Spatter is reaching 15-20 m into the air, above the trees. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō in the background.

New fissure eruption SW of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō between Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and Nāpau crater. Spatter is reaching 15-20 m into the air, above the trees.

Map showing the extent of the active flows of the Kamoamoa eruption, which started on March 5, 2011. Bright red shows the currently active flow, and light red shows an incomplete mapping of recent, but inactive, flows. Dark gray is the exposed area of flows erupted between 1983 and 1992, while light gray shows the extent of flows erupted from 1992 to 2007.