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Looking west up the east rift zone across the cone of Pu`u `O`o, with Napau Crater in background. Note the incandescent spot near the east end of the crater; this is a hole in the East Pond Vent. Trade winds blow the sulfurous fume south-southwestward.
Two views of a crusted flow moving away from a new vent at about the 2180-foot elevation, just upslope from the breached rootless shield at 2150 feet. Weak spattering shows location of vent.
Advancing lava in the new flow, which solidifies as pahoehoe. The billowy nature of the pahoehoe reflects its gas-rich nature, forming shelly pahoehoe that is torturous to try to walk across. The billows, which are 0.3-1 meter high, are hollow, and the locomotion process is like walking on egg shells.
Sampling gas from a hornito at about the 2130-foot elevation, just down slope from the lowest rootless shield. A tube is stuck through the side of the hornito into its hollow center, and gas is extracted for chemical analysis in the laboratory. Yellow color is native sulfur.
A baby hornito near the sampled one. Hammer gives scale. Great oaks from small acorns grow.
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