Images

The air was thick with smoke from burning vegetation and asphalt. Flows here were crossing Highway 137 and moving slowly towards a residence.

In July 2010, lava erupted from Kilauea Volcano's east rift zone burned vegetation on the coastal plain as active flows advanced toward Kalapana Gardens, the same area inundated by lava flows in 1990. Two homes in the subdivision were destroyed by lava in 2010 -- one in July and one in November.

Lava flows have reached the north facing scarp of the Hakuma horst (the vegetated segment roughly shaped like California), temporarily stopping flows toward the south, sending them along the scarp to the east and west. If the flows continue to inflate, they will overcome the topography of the horst and once again flow toward the ocean.

This composite image combines a thermal image with a normal photograph, and shows the active flow front in Kalapana. The flow is abutting the raised ground of the Hakuma horst, which is diverting the flows to the east and bringing them closer to residences.

Flows continue to be active south of the Kalapana access road, heading in a generally eastward direction. These breakouts were active just a few hundred meters east of the County lava viewing area.

Scorched ground extended out beyond the flow margins, as the lava triggered small fires that consumed adjacent grass and underbrush.

Flows continued to be active along Hwy 137, inching closer towards houses in Kalapana. This photo shows an inflated flow front that has ruptured, spilling out the fluid lava within the flow.

The advancing flows triggered many small fires, with underbrush burned up to a hundred meters ahead of the flow.

Flows reached the Kalapana access road in the past day, and covered about 300 meters of asphalt. The burning asphalt created a plume of thick, black smoke.

Flows were also active in kipukas north and south of the access road today, and were pushing through thick vegetation.

This active lobe disregarded the fence and continued south on its way to the ocean.

Lava fountains up to 20 m (65 ft) high erupted from fissures on the north flank of Mauna Loa early Sunday morning, July 6, 1975. USGS photo.

On July 6, 1975, eruptive fissures opened along Mauna Loa

Map showing the extent of the July 2007 eruption flow field relative to surrounding communities. Light red is the extent of the July 2007 eruption flow field. Reddish-brown is the extent of the currently-active Quarry flow as of July 8, 2010, while bright red shows the flow field expansion of the Quarry flow mapped by HVO geologists between July 8 and 14.

View looking southeast along the fuming trace of the TEB tube system. The growing rootless shield field is in the background just above and to the left of center frame. The low, rounded shape of the shields--especially the shield in shadow to the left--are evident in this photo.

Kīlauea volcano's summit eruption plume as viewed from the southeast flank of Mauna Loa on 11/30/2009 (top) and 12/20/2009 (bottom). The eruption plume's visible appearance is a complex function of physical eruptive vent conditions, meteorology and atmosp

Lava fountains erupt from a fissure in the southwestern part of Moku`aeoweo, Mauna Loa's summit caldera, on April 11, 1940 (view looking to the south-southeast). Patches of white snow cling to the caldera walls as fluid pahoehoe lava flows spread across

An HVO geologist samples lava from an active lava tube. These samples are analyzed routinely to track changes in lava chemistry.

This photo shows the view into Overlook vent during a relatively high level of the lava lake in 2010. When the lava was at a high stand like this, the plume became very thin and a view of the lava lake was possible.

A closer view of the County viewing area, looking northeast. Again, the thermal image is shown together with a normal photograph. Recently emplaced flows, from the past several weeks, are light red (center of image). The currently active breakouts, just 250 yards northwest of the road, show up as white and yellow.

This composite image overlays a thermal image on a normal photograph, and shows the flow field in the vicinity of the County viewing area, at the end of the Kalapana access road. Recent flows, from the past few weeks, show up as light red, whereas the currently active breakouts are yellow and white.