“At 2:58 a.m. HST on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, a small explosion occurred at Halema’uma’u Crater at the summit of Kilauea Volcano in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. … The explosion scattered debris over an area of about 75 acres (30 hectares), covering a portion of Crater Rim Drive and damaging the Halema’uma’u overlook. No lava was erupted as part of the explosion, suggesting that the activity was driven by hydrothermal or gas sources. In addition to damaging the overlook, explosive debris covers the trail to the overlook, the Halema’uma’u parking area, and the portion of Crater Rim Drive adjacent to the parking area. … The explosion produced a small crater along the east wall of Halema`uma`u that is about 20-30 meters (65-100 feet) in diameter.”
For a hundred years now, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has monitored the earthquakes and eruptions of Kilauea and Mauna Loa. And scientists check on Haleakala, Hualalai, Lo’ihi and Mauna Kea. When Thomas Jaggar arrived, there had been a long-lived eruption at the summit. Today there is a long-lived eruption on Kilauea’s East Rift Zone. In the intervening years, science has recorded many fascinating events. Here are the records of a few of them, as initially reported:
The explosion of May 18, 1924
“At 11:07 a.m. began a great culminating explosion with tremendous dust cloud and ejected rocks. At 11:09 there was a second explosion plastering the area northeast of the pit with hot sand for several hundred yards. At 11:20 a.m. there was a steady loud roar and a fall of (pea-sized mud balls) at the observatory. There was an observatory party near the pit, and during the barrage of 11:09 a.m. Mr. Truman Taylor was fatally stricken down by boulders and sand on the Kilauea floor about 1,800 feet southeast of Halemaumau. He was rescued, but died after being removed to a hospital. … One of the rocks weighing over 300 pounds landed on the 1921 lava in the south embayment of Kilauea Crater, and another boulder weighing eight tons fell at the landing field, made a deep impact cavity, and broke, the fragments bouncing and partially burying themselves on the side remote from the trajectory. An intense electrical storm followed.”
The bombing of Mauna Loa, Dec. 27, 1935
“Taking off from the Hilo airport at intervals of ten minutes, seven Keystone bombers were employed, each carrying a pair of 600 lb. TNT bombs and two 300 lb. sighting bombs. The volcanologist, from his chosen post of observation upon Puu Oo hill, had an uninterrupted view of the entire operation which was spectacular and impressive. Amid the thunder of shattering explosions, masses of rock and sheets of glowing lava were hurled in all directions, many of the great bombs, dropped from planes traveling at high speed, plunging directly into open channels though which molten lava was flowing, while others crashed upon the roofs of tunnels, blowing them open.”
Halema’uma’u explodes anew, March 19, 2008
“At 2:58 a.m. HST on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, a small explosion occurred at Halema’uma’u Crater at the summit of Kilauea Volcano in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. … The explosion scattered debris over an area of about 75 acres (30 hectares), covering a portion of Crater Rim Drive and damaging the Halema’uma’u overlook. No lava was erupted as part of the explosion, suggesting that the activity was driven by hydrothermal or gas sources. In addition to damaging the overlook, explosive debris covers the trail to the overlook, the Halema’uma’u parking area, and the portion of Crater Rim Drive adjacent to the parking area. … The explosion produced a small crater along the east wall of Halema`uma`u that is about 20-30 meters (65-100 feet) in diameter.”