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Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - August 4, 2015

By Kīlauea August 4, 2015

High view of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō; West pit in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō

High view of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō; West pit in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō...
High aerial view of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, looking south-southwest. The current crater at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is about 280 m (~920 ft) long and 230 m (~755 ft) wide, with a depth of about 25 m (~82 ft). To the west of the crater is another pit 49 m (~161 ft) across that contains a small lava pond.

 

The pit west of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, shown here, is overhung on mo...
The pit west of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, shown here, is overhung on most sides and may continue to widen with time. The lava pond inside is relatively placid, appearing as a black surface, usually with a few tiny spattering areas along the edge.

View of the active flow field; Scientist collects lava sample 

View of the active flow field; Scientist collects lava sample...
Lava flows are scattered across a broad area extending from about 3 to 8 km (2-5 mi) northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The active flows start just above the horizontal mid-line of the photo, but cannot be picked out easily within the broader inactive flow field due to their distance away in this photo. The most distant active lava is burning forest, and the bluish smoke from this can be seen in a few areas in the distance, partly shrouded by clouds.
An HVO scientist collects a molten lava sample using a rock hammer....
An HVO scientist collects a molten lava sample using a rock hammer. Molten lava on the flow field for the last several months has had a temperature usually around 1,140 ?ºC, or just under 2,100 ?ºF, when collected and can blister exposed skin when this close.

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