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2 December 2005

East Lae`apuki and Pu`u `O`o

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Left. Aerial view of embayment left after destruction of east Lae`apuki lava delta on November 28. Compare with last image taken on November 1. Column of steam and other gases rises from site of new, growing lava delta. 1021. Right. Head-on aerial view of new lava delta and sea cliff behind. The cliff retreated several tens of meters during the November 28 collapse. 1021.

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Left. New lava delta and feeding stream of lava emerging from tube high on cliff. 1023. Right. Closer view lava spilling from tube and flowing down fan created by the stream. Note that stream flows into a new tube that is being created by cooling of the surface of the lava. 1023.

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Left. Incandescent hole at MLK vent at southwest base of Pu`u `O`o. Hole is 1-2 m across. 1201. Right. Aerial view of East Pond Vent in crater of Pu`u `O`o. 1251.

16 December 2005

Growing lava delta and collapsing Pu`u `O`o

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Left. Aerial view looking west at new East Lae`apuki lava delta, built in scar left after collapse of original delta and adjacent old sea cliff on November 28. 0915. Right. Slump blocks on south rim of Pu`u `O`o's crater. Most of the south rim of the cone is badly cracked and waiting to fall, and gaping cracks also cut the south flank of the cone below the rim. 1048.

22 December 2005

East Lae`apuki and Pu`u `O`o area

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Left. Head-on view of East Lae`apuki lava delta. Four main ocean-entry points, and several smaller ones, generate plumes of laze, mainly steam. 1249. Right. Long-shore view of East Lae`apuki lava delta, looking east. Almost all of this delta has been rebuilt since the collapse of November 28. 1249.

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Left. Low-level fountaining in East Pond Vent on floor of Pu`u `O`o. Image taken through thick fume, which enhances red color. 1329. Right. Treacherous MLK vent area at southwest base of Pu`u `O`o (cone behind MLK crater.) Note highly cracked surface adjacent to MLK crater. In upper right is Kupaianaha shield, built in late 1980s. 1226.

29 December 2005

East Lae`apuki and MLK vent area

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Left. Lava delta at East Lae`apuki, built since November 28. White color on delta is from salt and other minerals precipitating on surface. Inland, note the scattered puffs of fume coming from points along lava tube feeding the delta. Actual point where tube enters delta is hidden by large laze plume. Note lopsided nature of delta; most is built right (east) of tube. Pulama pali in distance. 0938. Right. Treacherous lip of pit at MLK vent. Is it any wonder that geologists take care in this area? Southwest slope of Pu`u `O`o in background. 1016.

Maps of lava-flow field, Kilauea Volcano

Map of flows from Pu`u `O`o: 19 December 2005

Map shows lava flows erupted during 1983-present activity of Pu`u `O`o and Kupaianaha (see large map).

Yellow, brown, and red colors indicate lava flows erupted from October 2003 to December 16, 2005. Yellow indicates the currently active Kuhio (PKK) flow, active most of the time from March 20, 2004 to the present. The east and west arms of the PKK flow, once widely separated, began to merge and overlap on the coastal flat in March 2005. The east arm feeds the East Lae`apuki ocean entry. Activity on the west arm declined through mid-August, and the last surface flow on that arm was observed on August 21. The recent (November-December 2005) breakouts on Pulama pali described as "eastern" and "western" are all on the east arm of the PKK flow.

The brown shade denotes Martin Luther King (MLK ) flows, which first erupted in January 2004 from flank vents on the south slope of Pu`u `O`o. Since then, several more vents have formed in the MLK area and continue to erupt intermittently.

Red indicates the Mother's Day and Banana flows, last active in September 2004. Short flows from the crater, West Gap, and Puka Nui vents are also shown in red. In recent months, only the Puka Nui vent has produced infrequent, small flows.

Map of Pu`u `O`o and vicinity: 19 December 2005

Map shows vents, lava flows, and other features near Pu`u `O`o frequently referred to in updates (see large map). These features can change quickly, but this map should help those viewers lost in the terminology. The vents, lava tubes, and flows active in 2005 include the numbered vents in the crater, the MLK vent complex and associated flows, the Puka Nui vent, and the upper Kuhio (PKK) tube, which feeds the lava flows eventually reaching the ocean.