Editor’s note: Today’s Volcano Watch is abbreviated because the main subject was Christina “Tina” Neal, the new Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge, and most of the information in the column was contained in a story in Saturday’s edition of the Tribune-Herald.
Editor’s note: Today’s Volcano Watch is abbreviated because the main subject was Christina “Tina” Neal, the new Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge, and most of the information in the column was contained in a story in Saturday’s edition of the Tribune-Herald. To read the full version of Volcano Watch, visit http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/.
Kilauea’s east rift zone lava flow fed breakouts across the leading 2.5 km (1.6 miles) of the flow, but had not advanced farther downslope. Breakouts also were active about 6 km (4 miles) upslope from the flow front, over a broad area about 3 km (2 miles) northeast of Pu‘u ‘O‘o, and on the north flank of Pu‘u ‘O‘o. The Pu‘u ‘O‘o crater also gradually subsided during the past week.
Kilauea’s summit lava lake level tracked summit deformation, dropping about 25 meters (80 feet) associated with sharp deflation that began March 1. The dropping lava level triggered a large collapse within the Overlook crater Wednesday that slightly enlarged the lava lake. The lake level was about 74 meters (240 feet) below the rim of the Overlook crater as of Thursday.
There were no earthquakes reportedly felt on the Big Island during the past week.
Visit the HVO website (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for past Volcano Awareness Month articles and current Kilauea, Mauna Loa and Hualalai activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes and more; call 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
