New activity was seen just last week at volcanoes in Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Japan, New Zealand, and Hawaii. The Kilauea volcano erupted for 12 days from a new fissure vent. Let’s fly over to the Big Island and take a look.
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Kilauea: One of the World’s Most-Active Volcanoes
Lava from Kilauea on Hawaii flows into the ocean in 2017.
The big picture: Kilauea is located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and is one of the six active volcanoes in the state, including Mauna Loa, Hualalai, Mauna Kea, Kama‘ehuakanaloa (formerly Lō‘ihi Seamount), and Haleakalā on Maui.
Kilauea geology and magma:
Kilauea is a shield volcano, located above the Hawaiian hotspot.
It is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old, emerging above sea level between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago. Although much of the volcano is underwater, it has a subaerial extent of 1,500 sq. km.
Two rift zones extend from its summit caldera, one to the east and the other to the southwest.
The world’s hottest lava comes from Kilauea, with average temperatures around 1,100°C (2,012°F). The mafic lava cools to form both pahoehoe and aa textures, depending on temperature and viscosity.
Volcanic glass forms Pele’s tears and Pele’s hair. The hair can be dangerous when carried by the wind.
Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and erupted almost continuously from 1983–2018. These eruptions, from Pu‘u‘ō‘ō and other vents along the volcano's East Rift Zone, make it the longest rift-zone eruption of the last two centuries.
In 2018, more than 600 properties were destroyed by a lava flow that stretched from the Kilauea summit to the ocean.
Recent eruption: On September 18, lava began flowing from a new fissure vent that opened from east to west within the Kilauea's Nāpau Crater. Lava fountains spewed over 30 feet in the air and formed pools of lava that poured over the crater’s western cliffs.
The eruption was preceded by a sequence of earthquakes, occurring at depths between 0.6 and 1.9 miles below the ground’s surface.
The USGS issued a volcano watch (code orange), which means that an eruption is either likely to occur or currently occurring but with no, or minor, ash.
As of September 30, the eruption had ended. Four more earthquakes were detected between September 29 and September 30, but only a small amount of residual glow was visible, according to the USGS. The warning level has now returned to yellow.
The eruption occurred within a closed and remote area, and there was no damage done to life or infrastructure.
Read more about USGS’ analysis of the eruption here.
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Chain of Craters Road temporarily closed by lava flow. The road has reopened.
Don’t let the recent eruption scare you! Kilauea is still open to visitors and very much worth a look!
The Kilauea Visitor Center, located near the park’s entrance, will have information on any closures caused by activity, but otherwise, feel free to look around.
Two main roads, Crater Rim Road and Chain of Craters Road, transect the park.
You can stop along the way, walk across the hardened lava, hoist a piece of scoria, climb into a crevasse, gaze into a lava tube, and/or view the Holei Sea Arch. No collecting is allowed, as this is a National Park.
Those who want a small taste of some of Hawaii's fantastic hiking, can hike Nahuku (the Thurston Lava Tube), a 1.5-mile walk. The tube is lit during the day but can be chilly and wet inside.
Or See Its Halemaʻumaʻu Crater Virtually!
Halema'uma'u crater before the 2018 collapse.
If you can't make the trekk to Kilauea, or if you recently visited and want an even closer look at the caldera, you can view the Halemu'uma'u crater via a webcam placed at the site.
About the crater:
According to traditional Hawaiian religion, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, Pele, resides in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater. It is both her body and her home.
Halemaʻumaʻu is a circular pit within the much larger Kilauea caldera.
When I visited Kilauea, visitors could drive to Halemaʻumaʻu and peer into the crater. Along the crater rim, Native Hawaiians had left offerings of coins, flower leis and liquor.
From 2008–2018, a lava lake developed below the crater floor of Halemaʻumaʻu. The lava lake drained away in 2018, and the subsidence of the lava caused the crater and walls to collapse.
The crater deepened by 1,600 feet amid much explosive activity.
Today, Halemaʻumaʻu is closed to the public because of dangerous wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls.
Featured Read: Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
CGS Graphics/ Shutterstock.com
Michael Crichton’s partial manuscript has been completed by James Patterson. The story holds all the elements of a Crichton book: in-depth scientific research combined with suspense and nonstop action.
Here’s the premise: A volcanic eruption may destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. But more dangerous than the lava is a secret U.S. military installation and its contents, directly in the lava’s path. Can the lava be stopped, diverted, or cooled? Will the volcanologists and the military leaders put their differences aside and collaborate to save the world?
Thanks for joining me for our visit to Kilauea. Until next time, Aloha kāua.
Sharon Lyon
Editor, GeoLifestyle
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