May 31, 2018 Plenty Lava Flows
The focus of Kilauea Volcano’s current Leilani Estates Flow on the Big Island of Hawaii near Pahoa has shifted outside the subdivisions to Kapoho and the Pohoiki/Hot Pond area. Pele is sending an enormous amount of lava down a remarkably wide flow, and pouring hot rock into the Noni Farms Road area above Kapoho. Two huge flow fronts are burning their way through the area, and heading toward Green Mountain. It’s unclear whether she will pass to the north or south of the large green cinder cone. Well over three hundred structures have now been claimed by her devastating flows… and she’s far from finished. Pele has basically stopped sending her molten rock into the ocean just southwest of Pohoiki, as only wisps of plume could be seen in the area. Lava fountaining continues from Fissures 7 & 8 in the middle of Leilani Estates… our estimate is that lava is shooting 300-400 feet high, issuing red hot liquid rock at an unbelievable rate. The huge flow from this fissure has passed the PGV Geothermal plant below the subdivision, but a new flow is progressing toward the facility from near Fissure 22. Pele has not worked her way up the rift any further, in spite of many cracks which have developed at Nohea, Kupono and near Pomaikai. Much of the activity elsewhere on the flow field has somewhat given way to the gigantic Fissures 7 & 8, which are truly a spectacular sight! Pohoiki Road Highway 132 and 137 have all been covered with lava, but Highway 130 is still open as of this writing. More tomorrow!
Mahalo to Paradise Helicopters and Bruce Omori at Extreme Exposure