August 2, 2018 Waiting For Lava Surge
Fissure 8 was still effusing plenty lava this morning, but overall the activity throughout the flow field was extremely sluggish. Numerous fingers of lava pour or drip into the sea, the the volume appeared considerably reduced. This was probably due to the lack of a surge for over a day and a half. That came a few hours after we flew, and was felt this afternoon. Dane DuPont filed this report about 5:30 this afternoon: “Reports this afternoon have confirmed that a breakout near Noni Farms Road created a plume of smoke from burning vegetation from a small breakout which stopped after an hour. Several blockages upstream from the lava channel are suspect toward changes in volume, speed, and surges. Active a’a flows remain shy north, less than 175 m (0.1 mi) away from Pohoiki boat ramp. Active fans of lava continue to enter the ocean nearby with blue and grey fume continuing to bellow at flow edges as the 2 km (1.2 mi) flow front centered near the former Ahalanui Beach Park continues into the ocean.” Mahalo, Dane.
The lava channel between Kapoho Crater all the way to Leilani was extremely sluggish this morning… much of it crusted over, with very little movement and glowing, jagged cracks between the huge plates of hardened pahoehoe. Paradise Helicopters’ Pilot Sean Regehr guided us over the red hot rock so we could document this amazing phenomenon. Activity at Fissure 8 was somewhat diminished… but is still a boiling, seething cauldron of liquid lava. Leilani, Olympic Skater Ducky, Special Guest New York Times photographer Phillip, Bruce Omori and I had a marvelous Paradise Helicopters charter. Paradise Helicopters and Sean… you guys rock! Mahalo plenny!
Mahalo to Paradise Helicopters and Bruce Omori at Extreme Exposure