May 19, 2016 Bleeding Tumuli
A beautiful morning greeted us at the Pu’u ‘O’o flow field this morning. We documented a number of outstanding lava flows and spatter cones, but almost no lava in the northern forest. Several spatter cones have grown inside and on the north flank of the vent. A brief glimpse of the lava lake proved the continued sloshing activity there. Lava is being delivered through the lava tubes to the northeast from 1.5 to 3.5 miles from the Pu’u ‘O’o vent, but now much less lava is being delivered to the northern forest. We noticed only two very small smoking areas along the tree line, from 1.5 to 3.5 miles from the vent, thus continuing to reduce even further the threat to communities to the north and east. More outbreaks of lava were noted this morning toward the middle of the flow field rather than near the north forest. Our unique discovery… about two and a half miles from the vent… the beginnings of a brand new hornito atop a tumulus appears not to have grown over the past week. We’ve never seen a hornito anywhere but on the flank much closer to the vent. But near there, another formation we’ve never seen… a tumulus, or pushing up of the lava surface, filled with lava pouring out the side of the 15-20 foot rise. Leilani the Hula Girl and Lava Ducky were both on board, along with special guest, Jennifer Lam. Bruce Omori and I enjoyed the superb skills of Paradise Helicopters’ master pilot, Ryan Moeller. All activity remains two miles or more away from the closest infrastructure, and is not threatening any communities at this time. Skies in east Hawaii were mostly cloudy today, with occasional rain showers.
Mahalo to Paradise Helicopters and Bruce Omori at Extreme Exposure