May 4, 2017 May the Fourth be with You!
kī hō’alu (Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar)
by Hilo’s own Ben Kaili
Spectacular sunrise… lava flowing down the Pali… and a large portion of the lava delta disappears! Trade winds have returned, sending the plumes at Pu’u ‘O’o and the ocean entry back in their normal southwest direction. The lava lake at the vent was exposed… and the 61G surface flows are creeping over the Pali. Only a few outbreaks were noted… Pele has yet to reach the steeper part of the downslope. Pele’s molten lava continues to pour into the ocean at Kamokuna… the USGS reports the front portion of the lava delta collapsed recently, but dozens of lava rivulets have begun the rebuilding process. We saw no outbreaks at all on the coastal flats today. Knight Ducky, special guest Jill Briggs, Tom Kualii and I had a spectacular early morning overflight with Paradise Helicopters’ pilot Rob Mitchell… nobody does it like Paradise!
Mahalo to Paradise Helicopters and Bruce Omori at Extreme Exposure