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2 March 2005

East side of East Lae`apuki ocean entry

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Left. Lava pours into the water off the east side of the East Lae`apuki delta. Note that the lava emerges from small tubes. Height of lava cascade, about 3 m. 0738. Right. Same part of lava delta taken from same vantage point as left image. Note the changes in a little more than 4 hours. This image, however, is at less magnification than left image. East side of East Lae`apuki ocean entry, 1152.

4 March 2005

Cones and plumes

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Left. Gas plumes rise from vents in and south of Pu`u `O`o's crater, and from skylights on upper PKK flow. Aerial view is toward east. 0835. Right. Larger plume of laze, actually a composite of three separate plumes, is at Ka`ili`ili ocean entry, and smaller is at East Lae`apuki. Distance between the two ocean entries is 2.7 km. 0843.

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Left. Cones that cluster around East Pond Vent, typically the most active vent in the crater of Pu`u `O`o. 1021. Right. Closer view at different angle of cone in left image with two incandescent holes. 1119.

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Left. Looking west across crater, showing three spatter cones seldom seen in images. South Wall Complex is cone at left, built near crater wall. Drainhole and, behind it, Beehive, are near right side of image. Note the high mound of lava flows between South Wall Complex and Drainhole. 1055. Right. Tip-top of highest cone in West Gap. This spire is probably not long for this world. 1213

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Left. MLK vent cluster from south flank of Pu`u `O`o. Near top edge of image, directly above geologist, is Puka Nui cone, visible in large view. Both the MLK cluster and Puka Nui cone were emitting loud roaring sounds today. 1033. Right. Incandescent top of broad hornito at former site of Kiln hornito, built on roof of upper PKK lava tube south of Pu`u `O`o. 0930.

10 March 2005

Ka`ili`ili ocean entry and lava falls

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Left. Large laze plume at Ka`ili`ili ocean entry is composed of four main entry points. The point farthest east (right side of image) is new in the past week, and an active finger of lava is approaching the sea cliff to the west (left side of image). Note steam coming off ocean surface in front of largest entry point. 0853. Right. Lava falls viewed through skylight of tube in east branch of PKK flow on Pulama pali. 0901.

23 March 2005

Ka`ili`ili

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Left. Much of the Ka`ili`ili lava delta is obscured by laze and steam, and views of lava are generally not great. This image shows lava on the surface and in a tube on the delta. 0842. Right. Coarse strands of Pele`s Hair strewn across top of sea cliff. The hair probably formed during large collapse of delta front, exposing lava inside the delta to seawater. Explosions resulted, and the hair formed as gas bubbles in the lava burst and liquid flew through the air and was drawn out like spun glass. In such situations, the surface of the lava flow above the sea cliff is often covered with Pele's Hair and resembles the floor of a messy barber shop. 0847.

25 March 2005

New Kamoamoa ocean entry, and skylight

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Left. New Kamoamoa ocean entry largely shrouded in laze and fume. Note that lava is pouring over an old sea cliff onto an old delta, flowing across the old delta, and dropping into the sea at the front of the old delta, building a new addition to the delta in the process. The large number of actual entry points leads to an equally large number of plumes. 1135. Right. Looking southwest at Kamoamoa ocean entry. Directly above center is puff of steam from East Lae`apuki entry, and in upper left is steam rising from the two new Highcastle entries. Holei Pali in background. 1136.

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Skylight on east branch of PKK flow above Pulama pali. Left. Skylight in perspective of surrounding ground surface. 1254. Right. Closer view shows incandescent walls and ledges in the tube, as well as drips from underside of one ledge near right edge of image. 1254.

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Left. Still closer to the Inferno. 1255. Right. Not every place awe-inspiring is a place to be. 1257.

Map of flows from Pu`u `O`o: 2 February 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 early February 2005. Yellow shade indicates currently active Kuhio (PKK) flow, active most of the time from March 20, 2004 through present (February 1, 2005). Its large eastern arm feeds the Ka`ili`ili ocean entry. Its western arm once supplied lava to Lae`apuki, but now the west branch of that arm carries lava to the West Highcastle entry. The middle arm of the PKK flow has not amounted to much and hangs high on Pulama pali between the western and eastern arms.

Brown shade denotes MLK flows, which first erupted in January 2004, and, in brief spurts, subsequently.

Red indicates the Mother's Day/Banana flow, which is no longer active. Short flows from the crater, West Gap, and Puka Nui vents are also shown in red. Only the Puka Nui vent is currently producing infrequent, small flows.

New vents opened at the southern base of Pu`u `O`o on January 19, 2004 and fed Martin Luther King (MLK) flows, which remained active until March 5, 2004. Since then, several more vents have formed in the MLK area and continue to erupt intermittently. On March 20, 2004 the Kuhio (PKK) flow originated from two vents, about 250 m south of base of Pu`u `O`o. This flow has been continuously active since July 26, 2004.

The Banana flow developed from breakouts from the Mother's Day lava tube, centered near the former Banana Tree kipuka. The breakouts become prominent in the middle of April and lava started down Pulama pali shortly thereafter. The Banana flow fed an ocean entry from the end of May through the beginning of August. This flow stagnated early in September 2004, and Mother's Day tube died late in 2004.

Map of Pu`u `O`o and vicinity: 24 August 2004

Map shows vents, lava flows, and other features near Pu`u `O`o frequently referred to in updates (see large map). These features change often, but this map should help those viewers lost in the terminology. The cones in West Gap are just outside the boundary of the crater--the oval-shaped depression containing the seven numbered vents (now down to 6, as Humble Vent has been buried by a mound of lava flows erupted from Dave's Pit/Vent in March. Red color denotes flows--the Mother's Day flows--erupted since May 12, 2002. Light orange color indicates episode-55 flows erupted between March 1997 and August 2002 (exclusive of Mother's Day flows). Darker orange represents MLK flows; yellow, PKK flow; purple, Puka Nui flow. Vents for these sets of flows shown by indicated symbols. Gray shows flows of earlier episodes.