Kilauea Eruption Update!

Reprinted from here.

KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW#1302-01-)
19.42°N 155.29°W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

This report on the status of Kilauea volcanic activity, in addition to maps, photos, and webcam images (available using the menu bar above), was prepared by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park status can be found at http://www.nps.gov/havo/ or 985-6000. Hawai`i County Viewing Area status can be found at 961-8093.

Activity Summary for last 24 hours: The final inflation portion of a DI tilt event is in progress. Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the Halema`uma`u and the Pu`u `O`o vents remain high although the emissions from Pu`u `O`o have been decreasing since August. Tephra production from the Halema`uma`u vent remains small. At the east rift eruption site, the flow of lava has paused.

Last 24 hours at Kilauea summit: Weak winds produced poor air quality during most of the last 24 hours. Vent glow was too weak to be recorded by the webcam overnight. This morning, winds above 300 m (1,000 ft) are moving the gas plume to the southwest; winds closer to the ground are weaker resulting in voggy air. GOES-WEST imagery shows the plume moving southwest inland of the coast.

Small amounts of tephra continued to be produced, the collections continue to consistent mostly of glassy spatter. In addition to sounds resembling distant surf, rock falls and rolls could also be made out from the vent.

Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated and variable. The most recent average measurement was 500 tonnes/day on October 24, compared to the 2003-2007 average rate of 140 tonnes/day.

The network of tiltmeters within Kilauea caldera recorded the inflation portion of the ongoing DI tilt event starting at about 2 am. The GPS receiver networks (less sensitive than tiltmeters) recorded small changes but no significant extension or contraction over the past two weeks.

Seismic activity continued to be focused on the south caldera; tremor levels dropped with the start of inflation. A total of 17 earthquakes were located beneath Kilauea or nearby, including 5 beneath the south caldera and none on south flank faults, with the number of RB2S2BL earthquakes increasing to around 50/day.

Last 24 hours at the middle east rift zone vents and flow field: Magma continues to degas through Pu`u `O`o Crater. The most recent sulfur dioxide measurement of 1,100 tonnes/day on October 24 is below the 2005-2007 average of about 2,000 tonnes/day for this vent; Pu`u `O`o emission rates have been slowly declining since early August. No incandescence was observed within the crater overnight.

Pu`u `O`o continues to deflate/collapse. The tiltmeter on the north side of Pu`u `O`o recorded no change in tilt since noon yesterday; the Pu`u `O`o tiltmeter has not yet responded to the DI inflation in progress at the summit. GPS stations spanning the crater (less sensitive than tiltmeters) recorded weak contraction across the crater. Seismic tremor levels near Pu`u `O`o and the TEB vent remain at low values and still haven't responded to the ongoing DI tilt event.

Lava from the TEB vent and the rootless shield complex has paused. The ocean entry plume was very small and only intermittently active yesterday through last night. Incandescence was seen high on the pali above Royal Gardens and from the TEB vent overnight and this morning. GOES-WEST thermal anomalies continued to weaken overnight suggesting that surface flows are no longer active. This morning, CD officials report no active ocean entry.



For more information on visiting Hawaii in general or touring the Big Island in particular, go to www.tourguidehawaii.com and www.lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com. For video of the eruptions in Hawaii volcanoes national Park, go here, here and here.

The Weather This Week In Paradise

Reprinted from here. Point Forecast: Kailua Kona HI 19.63N 155.95W (Elev. 1217 ft) Last Update: 4:55 am HST Oct 28, 2008 Forecast Valid: 6am HST Oct 28, 2008-6pm HST Nov 3, 2008

Today Isolated Showers Hi 82°F Tonight Haze Lo 68°F Wednesday Haze Hi 83°F Wednesday Night Haze Lo 67°F Thursday Isolated Showers Hi 83°F Thursday Night Isolated Showers Lo 67°F Friday Scattered Showers Hi 83°F Friday Night Isolated Showers Lo 67°F Saturday Scattered Showers Hi 83°F Today: Isolated showers after noon. Widespread haze. Cloudy, with a high near 82. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Tonight: Widespread haze. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind around 8 mph becoming east. Wednesday: Widespread haze. Increasing clouds, with a high near 83. West wind around 7 mph. Wednesday Night: Widespread haze. Mostly clear, with a low around 67. East wind around 9 mph becoming south. Thursday: Isolated showers after noon. Widespread haze. Partly cloudy, with a high near 83. South wind around 8 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Thursday Night: Isolated showers before midnight. Widespread haze. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Friday: Scattered showers after noon. Widespread haze. Partly cloudy, with a high near 83. West wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Friday Night: Isolated showers. Widespread haze. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Saturday: Scattered showers. Widespread haze. Partly cloudy, with a high near 83. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Saturday Night: Isolated showers. Widespread haze. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Sunday: Scattered showers. Widespread haze. Partly cloudy, with a high near 83. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday Night: Isolated showers. Widespread haze. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Monday: Scattered showers. Widespread haze. Partly cloudy, with a high near 82. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. For more information on touring Hawaii in general and visiting the Big Island in particular, please go to tourguidehawaii.com and lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.

Franks Big Island Travel Hints #2: South Kona to Ka'u

Frank's Big Island Travel Hints: Kona Coast South of Honaunau to Ka'u: Brought to you by Tour Guide Hawaii.

Driving south on Hwy 11 there isn’t too much to stop and see for several miles, so enjoy the panoramic views. Soon your Tour Guide will give you information about Ho’okena Beach and Milolii.

Ho’okena is a lovely gray sand beach about 5 miles off the main hwy. This is a nice beach for swimming, snorkeling and picnicking. There are some trails to hike and decent restrooms. Camping is also available by permit only. Your Tour Guide will give more information about trails to hike, camping, and where to get snorkel gear and camping permits.

Driving a few miles further, headed toward the volcano park, is the turn off for Milolii. Again about 5 miles off the main highway, Milolii is one of the last fishing villages in Hawaii. On the way down the views are spectacular, so keep your camera handy. Tour Guide will give you lots of history about this area, so make sure you listen to it on the way. If you are up for a short hike, park at the Miloli'i County Beach Park and hike the shoreline trail to beautiful, secluded, empty Honomalino Bay.

As with anywhere you travel, make sure to lock your vehicle when you leave it and don’t leave valuables in plain sight.

Tour Guide will show many other great places to explore as you continue driving south. We’ll jump ahead at this point to the southernmost town in the United States, Na’alehu. This quaint plantation town is a throwback to when sugar cane was the main export. Na’alehu boasts being a favorite spot for Mark Twain to rest and enjoy the old Hawaii lifestyle. The Punalu’u Bakery has become famous throughout the state for their sumptuous sweet bread. These are just two great reasons to stop and take in some of the local flavor.

Driving about 10 miles further south, your Tour Guide will recommend the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, one of the top 44 sites on the Big Island. This beach is not only famous for the jet black sand but also for the Hawaiian Green sea turtles and the Hawksbill sea turtles who reside nearby. Often you can see these magnificent creatures sunning on the black sand and, at certain times of the year, nesting and laying their eggs. All turtles in Hawaii are endangered species so touching them is forbidden and a $20,000 dollar fine is strictly enforced. Get up close for photos but please leave them alone. Tour Guide will give you some of the rich history of this area as well.

Driving south from Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, you will notice the highway begin to ascend toward the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Just after you see the Volcano Park sign, there will be a small parking lot, on the ocean side of the hwy, called the Ka'u Desert Trail Head. A one mile hike on this trail will bring you to the warrior footprints and a petroglyph field. Tour Guide gives the stories and history of this fascinating area.

For more information on touring Hawaii in general and visiting the Big Island in particular, please go to tourguidehawaii.com and lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.

Mauna Ulu, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big Island Hawaii

Mauna Ulu, or growing mountain is a tall, sloping, shield-shaped hill formed by numerous eruptions along the rift between 1969 and 1974; Mauna Ulu is best seen by walking a few yards past the road beyond the parking lot to where the end of road is covered in fresh lava flows. At Mauna Ulu, visitors can get an intimate look at both pahoehoe and aa lava flow types. Pahoehoe, the less viscous and generally hotter liquid flow, moves fluidly like a river or glacier, the surface folding and molding, like poured taffy, into a ropy structure. Pahoehoe forms generally flat, fairly smooth, hard surfaces. Aa, on the other hand, is much cooler and has exolved much of its dissolved gas, so it is much more viscous, causing the upper surface to fracture into clinker-like boulders and fragments. Flowing aa sounds and looks like a moving pile of hot glass shards; when it cools, it leaves behind rubbly piles of sharp fragments. Fields of pahoehoe and aa make a landscape that look as if Madame Pele has bulldozed her land to flat surfaces, but left these acres of boulder piles here and there.

Pu'u Huluhulu (shaggy hill) is a 150 foot tall cinder cone formed in pre-contact times between Mauna Ulu and Pauahi Crater. There is a fascinating 3 mile round trip hike from the Mauna Ulu parking lot to the top of Pu'u Huluhulu that is marked by cairns (or ahu). From the vantage point of Pu'u Huluhulu's summit, one can see Pu'u O'o (hill of the bird) about 5 miles away. From Pu'u Huluhulu are fine views of Mauna Loa, Kilauea, Mauna Kea, the coastline and Pu'u O'o. Pu'u O'o is a spatter cone built by the fire-fountains erupting along Kilauea's rift zone between 1983 and 1986. Since 1986, the center of eruption has moved about 2 miles further down the rift to a vent called Kupaianaha, or mysterious in Hawaiian. The round trip hike from Mauna Ulu Parking lot to Pu'u Huluhulu and return takes about an hour and a half to two hours.

The hike to the summit of Mauna Ulu is a long, dry, serious hike with some dangers and should only be undertaken by those in good physical condition and experienced at hiking cross-country across broken and hazardous ground.

Written and produced by Donnie MacGowan; videography by Frank Burgess and Donald MacGowan; narrated by Frank Burgess; original musical score written and performed by Donnie MacGowan.

For more information on touring Hawaii in general and visiting the Big Island in particular, please go to tourguidehawaii.com and lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.

Kilauea Visitor's Center, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Newly remodeled and updated, the Kilauea Visitors Center is an outstanding resource of information on Hawai'i's volcanoes and the National Park; the not-to-be-missed, definitely first stop in the park you must make. The Center is run by enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff that has the most up-to-date information on viewing the eruption, hiking and camping, bird watching, stargazing and just about any other topic of interest to Park visitors. Available for sale in the Center are maps, guidebooks, books and videos about the volcanoes, Hawai'iana, history, plants and every topic you can imagine pertinent to the Park, even souvenirs. There are free brochures and pamphlets on various trails, attractions, hiking safety and lava viewing hazards and precautions. Starting at 9 a.m. and showing every hour on the hour is a 20 minute informative movie about the Park; the film changes from time to time, but always contains spectacular footage of eruptions, information on Volcanology and the natural and human history of the Park.

The Visitor Center is open daily from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.; there are public restrooms, water and pay phones available. Tuesday evenings the Center is open until 9 p.m. for their After Dark In The Park series of free lectures that start at 7 p.m. Lecture topics range from natural history to geology to topics of local and regional importance and are presented by experts and community leaders. Call 808.985.6017 for the schedule of presentations.

Written and produced by Donnie MacGowan; narrated by Frank Burgess; videography by Donald MacGowan and Frank Burgess; original musical score written and performed by Donnie MacGowan.

For more information about touring Hawaii in general or visiting the Big Island in particular, go to www.tourguidehawaii.com and lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.

Kipuka Kahalihi, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Kipukas are holes between lava flows where vegetation is saved from being incinerated or buried. At Kipuka Kahalihi, however, much of the vegetation was buried in hot cinders blown here from the 1969 Mauna Ulu fire fountains. Only the tall vegetation was preserved from ash burial and only very hardy species have grown back since the eruption.

Written and produced by Donnie MacGowan; videography by Frank Burgess and Donnie MacGowan. Narrated by Frank Burgess; original musical score written and performed by Donnie MacGowan.

For more information on seeing Hawaii in general and touring the Big Island in particular, visit tourguidehawaii.com and lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.

Muliwai O Pele, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

The platform overlooks the remains of a trench that flowed full of lava at the time of the eruption, delivering million of gallons of molten fluid. When trenches such as these become roofed over, they are called lava tubes and the cooled remains are preserved as caves, such as Nahuku, or Thurston Lava Cave up on Crater Rim Drive. When the vent supplying the lava stops producing, these structures drain empty and cool. Large lava cascades may flow at a velocity of several to tens of miles per hour, however, in Hawaii, most flows can easily be outdistanced on foot.

Written and produced by Donnie MacGowan; narrated by Frank Burgess; videography by Donald MacGowan and Frank Burgess; original musical score written and performed by Donnie MacGowan.

For more information on touring Hawaii in general or visiting the Big Island in particular, go to www.tourguidehawaii.com and lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.