April 28, 2016 Vent Spatter
A gorgeous sunrise coupled with a rainbow started the day off right as we captured rare footage in the Pu’u ‘O’o vent today. What we like to call nosebleeds… many small outbreaks of lava throughout the flow field were observed today. this is the result pop what the USGS calls a leaky tube system. Lava is being delivered through the lava tubes to the forest yto the northeast 1.5 to 3.5 miles from the Pu’u ‘O’o vent. Several forest entries to the north burn slowly, expanding the margins of the flow field bit by bit. As we approached the Pu’u ‘O’o vent, we spotted a spattering cone inside the eastern end. We got some nice shots of the event which lasted just over one minute after our arrival and then quickly died. The spattering lava lake on the western end was also visible and quite active… stretching and folding in typical fashion. Skylights on the north flank reveal the steady supply of lava downslope… the one closest to the vent even spattering a bit itself. Leilani the Hula Girl and Lava Ducky were both on board, along with special guest, Gary Banks. Bruce Omori and I joined Paradise Helicopters’ master pilot, Ryan Moeller, who guided us safely on our overflight this morning. All activity remains about two miles away from the closest infrastructure, and is not threatening any communities at this time. Pu’u ‘O’o’s plume was blowing strongly toward the south today. Skies in east Hawaii were mostly cloudy today, with light rain showers and wonderfully clean air.
Mahalo to Paradise Helicopters and Bruce Omori at Extreme Exposure