This time last year, Kilauea Volcano’s lava flow was threatening Pahoa. Today, the immediate danger to Puna communities no longer exists, but lava continues to erupt from the Pu‘u ‘O‘o vent. So, while the flow is largely out of sight,
This time last year, Kilauea Volcano’s lava flow was threatening Pahoa. Today, the immediate danger to Puna communities no longer exists, but lava continues to erupt from the Pu‘u ‘O‘o vent. So, while the flow is largely out of sight, it should not totally be out of mind.
During the past year, Mauna Loa began stirring, a reminder that Earth’s largest active volcano is just that — an active volcano that someday will erupt again. With seismicity and deformation of the volcano above background levels, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory elevated the Volcano Alert Level (http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/alertsystem/) for Mauna Loa from normal to advisory in September.
With this in mind, Island of Hawaii residents are encouraged to learn more about the volcanoes on which they live, work and play. One way to do this is by attending upcoming talks offered by HVO scientists during our island’s seventh annual Volcano Awareness Month in January.
The Volcano Awareness Month schedule, including the date, time, location and brief description for each presentation, is posted on HVO’s website (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) — or you can call 808-967-8844 for more information.
For now, here’s an overview of the talks offered by HVO scientists in January. All are free and open to the public.
Weekly “After Dark in the Park” programs in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park begin Jan. 5 with a look at what’s happened with Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing East Rift Zone and summit eruptions during the past year. Subsequent Tuesday evening programs Jan. 12, 19 and 26 include an update on the current status of Mauna Loa, a discussion of lethal eruptions on Kilauea and the story of the Mauna Loa lava flow that threatened Hilo in 1880-81, respectively.
Each presentation begins at 7 p.m. in the Kilauea Visitor Center (national park entrance fees apply).
Two Thursday evening talks by HVO scientists are slated for the University of Hawaii at Hilo main campus. On Jan. 7, events on Kilauea during the past year (a repeat of the Jan. 5 park program) will be presented in University Classroom Building Room 100. On Jan. 28, Mauna Loa’s current seismic state and how seismological observations have been used to forecast past eruptions will be discussed in UCB Room 127. Both talks begin at 7 p.m.
In West Hawaii, an overview of Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Kilauea volcanoes will be presented twice: On Wednesday, Jan. 20, in the Maka‘eo Pavilion at the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area in Kailua-Kona and on Monday, Jan. 25, in the Konawaena High School cafeteria in Kealakekua. Both begin at 6:30 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, HVO will experience a déjà vu moment, albeit under much less stressful circumstances, when staff return to the Pahoa High School cafeteria to talk about Kilauea Volcano’s Pu‘u ‘O‘o eruption and the current status of the lava flow that threatened Pahoa in 2014-15. HVO recently received the Big Island Press Club’s “Torch of Light” award for keeping residents and media informed as the flow advanced toward Pahoa — but its efforts couldn’t have succeeded without community members who attended the many meetings at the school and in nearby subdivisions.
Vog (volcanic air pollution), a pervasive reminder of Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing eruptions, and the results of a recent study on vog perceptions and protection will be addressed during a discussion at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Ocean View Community Center in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates.
Hilo’s Lyman Museum will host two HVO programs in January. The first, Jan. 11, is a presentation about the Mauna Loa 1880-81 lava flow (repeated in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Jan. 26). It is followed by a talk Jan. 18 about volcanic gases, vog and the environmental effects from Hawaiian volcanoes. Details will be posted soon on the museum website (http://lymanmuseum.org/).
Volcano awareness shouldn’t be limited to a single month on Hawaii Island, home to two of the world’s most active volcanoes. But January, officially proclaimed Volcano Awareness Month in 2010, is a good time to begin or continue your quest to better understand Hawaiian volcanoes — and meet the HVO scientists who monitor them.
We hope to see you at one or more of our talks in January 2016.
Volcano activity update
Kilauea continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. The summit lava lake remains active within the Halema‘uma‘u Crater vent, with the lake level at about 38 m (125 ft) below the vent rim Dec. 17. On the East Rift Zone, scattered lava flow activity remained within about 6 km (4 mi) of Pu‘u ‘O‘o.
Mauna Loa is not erupting. The seismicity rate is elevated above background levels, but has not increased compared to rates observed in recent months. Continuous GPS measurements continue to show deformation consistent with inflation of magma reservoirs beneath Mauna Loa.
Two earthquakes were reported felt on the Big Island during the past week. At 12:19 a.m. Dec. 14, a magnitude-2.6 earthquake occurred 8 km (5 mi) northwest of Captain Cook at a depth of 12.5 km (7.8 mi). At 12:23 p.m. Dec. 16, a magnitude-3.9 earthquake occurred 15.2 km (9.4 mi) west of Kalapana at a depth of 7.3 km (4.6 mi).
Visit the HVO website (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for past Volcano Watch articles, Kilauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, recent earthquakes info, and more; call for summary updates at 808-967-8862 (Kilauea) or 808-967-8866 (Mauna Loa); email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Volcano Watch (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/) is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey`s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
