Images

Zoomed-in view of the current visitor viewing area at the end of Hwy 130.

View looking south at the currently active flow crossing the coastal plain west of Kalapana. The new flow is the silvery lava crossing the photo from lower right to top center where the flow front is burning vegetation. The end of Hwy 130 is visible at upper left.

Distant view looking north at the active flow as it crossing the coastal plain and approaches the ocean. Houses in the Kalapana Gardens subdivision are visible to the right. The lava tube feeding lava to the flow front is delineated by the points of fume at upper left.

A 3 meter (10 ft) high cascade feeds lava into an old quarry at the end of the Kalapana access road, within view of the County viewing area.

Lava, on its southward journey to the ocean, crossed and buried the County lava viewing trail. The viewing area was relocated a short distance back from the flow margin.

This comparison of thermal images over the coastal plain shows the advancement of the active flows over the past week. At the top, a normal photograph from April 15 gives reference. The middle frame, from April 15, shows that the flows were approaching the bottom of the pali last week.

Lava flow activity continues to burn vegetation in the kipuka adjacent to the trail, causing the viewing trail to be closed beyond the trailhead. The new viewing area is still very close to the active flows.

This photo shows the ropey texture of a recently crusted pahoehoe flow, as well as its superior strength as a natural insulator. The crack is still glowing hot but the lava is no longer moving under the crust.

A tree goes up in flames as the lava moves further into the kipuka. Looking closely, you can see the ash from the tree in the smoke column.

While much of this lava flow stayed along the margin of the kipuka, a few lobes ventured into the vegetation.

Surface flows on the coastal plain were active a couple hundred meters (yards) from the current viewing trail at the end of Highway 130. The flows are burning along the margin of a large kipuka mauka of the viewing trail.

Photograph of the eruption from the summit of Eyjafjallajökull from the north looking to the south across the Gígjökull outlet glacier, its "missing" proglacial (ice-margin) lake caused by the jökulhlaup that filled in the lake. 

Original image can be found at: http://www.examiner.com/article/mother-nature-one-ups-scientists-no-cle…

Flows continue to be active on the pali and are advancing southward. The flow front this morning was approximately 1.4 km (0.9 miles) north of the County viewing area. Letters A and B denote corresponding points in the photograph (top) and thermal image (bottom). The active flows show up clearly in the thermal image.

An HVO geologist takes a sample of active lava within a lava tube. The fluid lava sticks to the heavy hammer head at the end of the cable when it is lowered into the swiftly moving lava stream. These samples are analyzed routinely to track changes in lava chemistry.

View of the currently active flows on the pali, east of Royal Gardens subdivision. The corresponding thermal image highlights the active flow area clearly. The active flows are traveling down the east margin of the Thanksgiving Eve Breakout (TEB) flow field. The flows are being fed by a lengthening lava tube, which is marked by a line of fume.

Lava flow breakout

The terminus of the active flows from Kilauea's east rift zone, the lighter color lava seen here, have reached down to about the 1100-ft elevation just east of the older TEB flow field. If these flows continue to push forward, they will likely end up back on top of the older TEB flow field at the base of Pulama pali close to the end of the Kalapana access road.

View of the active vent in Halema`uma`u Crater. The remains of the visitor overlook fence are on the crater rim just below the vent. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Jaggar Museum on visible on Uwekahuna Bluff in the background. The broad slope of Mauna Loa's east flank forms the skyline.

After a short pause in surface activity late last week, breakouts resumed over the weekend and continued through this week. Scattered pahoehoe flows were located above the pali, about 1.6 km (1 mile) north of Royal Gardens subdivision.

No surface flows were active anywhere on the flow field today, due to summit deflation and a reduction in lava supply over the past few days. Summit inflation resumed yesterday, and an increase in lava supply should lead to resumed breakouts over the next several days.