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HVO geologist snags a sample from an active pahoehoe flow, wearing a hood made of a non-flammable material to protect his face from the heat. The coffee can at his feet contains water to "quench," or quickly cool, the lava. Photo taken May 19, 2005
Incandescent spatter cone near the south wall of the Pu`u `O`o crater. This is one of several vents inside the crater that contribute to the glow seen from Pu`u `O`o on clear nights. Photo taken May 17, 2005.
Plumes from three lava entries-East Kamoamoa, Kamoamoa, and East Lae`apuki--are visible in this photo. View is to the northwest, looking toward the end of Chain of Craters Road. Photo taken May 19, 2005.
Map shows lava flows erupted during 1983-present activity of Pu`u `O`o and Kupaianaha.Yellow, brown, and red colors indicate lava flows erupted from October 2003 to mid May 2005. Yellow shade indicates currently active Kuhio (PKK) flow, active most of the time from March 20, 2004 through present (May 2005). Its large eastern arm feeds the Ka`ili`ili ocean entry. Its western arm once supplied lava to Lae`apuki, but now the west branch of that arm carries lava to the West Highcastle entry. The middle arm of the PKK flow has not amounted to much and hangs high on Pulama pali between the western and eastern arms.Brown shade denotes MLK flows, which first erupted in January 2004, and, in brief spurts, subsequently.Red indicates the Mother's Day/Banana flow, which is no longer active. Short flows from the crater, West Gap, and Puka Nui vents are also shown in red. Only the Puka Nui vent is currently producing infrequent, small flows.New vents opened at the southern base of Pu`u `O`o on January 19, 2004 and fed Martin Luther King (MLK) flows, which remained active until March 5, 2004. Since then, several more vents have formed in the MLK area and continue to erupt intermittently. On March 20, 2004 the Kuhio (PKK) flow originated from two vents, about 250 m south of base of Pu`u `O`o. This flow has been continuously active since July 26, 2004.The Banana flow developed from breakouts from the Mother's Day lava tube, centered near the former Banana Tree kipuka. The breakouts become prominent in the middle of April and lava started down Pulama pali shortly thereafter. The Banana flow fed an ocean entry from the end of May through the beginning of August. This flow stagnated early in September 2004, and Mother's Day tube died late in 2004.
Map shows vents, lava flows, and other features near Pu`u `O`o frequently referred to in updates (see large map). These features change often, but this map should help those viewers lost in the terminology. The cones in West Gap are just outside the boundary of the crater--the oval-shaped depression containing the seven numbered vents (now down to 6, as Humble Vent has been buried by a mound of lava flows erupted from Dave's Pit/Vent in March. Red color denotes flows--the Mother's Day flows--erupted since May 12, 2002. Light orange color indicates episode-55 flows erupted between March 1997 and August 2002 (exclusive of Mother's Day flows). Darker orange represents MLK flows; yellow, PKK flow; purple, Puka Nui flow. Vents for these sets of flows shown by indicated symbols. Gray shows flows of earlier episodes.
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