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Lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Overlook pit, recently emplaced flows on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's spillway, spatter cone on northwest side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's crater floor, Views of the Kahauale‘a flow, and ocean entry near Kupapa‘u Point.
Lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Overlook pit
The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u remains poised at a relatively high level within the Overlook pit. The lake level dropped over the weekend. Though rising again now, it has not yet reached last week's level.
Recently emplaced flows on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's spillway
The "spillway"—Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's eastern flank—has been buried by flows fed mostly from a spatter cone on the northeastern side of the crater floor. Most of the dark-colored lava in the foreground is new lava that has resurfaced the spillway. The fume to the left is the trace of the Peace Day tube, newly covered by crater overflows, currently carrying lava to the coast. The tube carrying lava to the northeast is not obvious, but extends toward the lower right side of the photo.
Some of the recent overflows at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō traveled to the southeast. This photo shows those overflows, which comprise several dark-colored channelized flows.
Spatter cone on northwest side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's crater floor
There are currently four spatter cones on the floor of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater that have been the source of lava flows over the past several months. The one shown here is on the northwest side of the crater floor, close to the multiframe webcam shown on our website. The webcam, and an HVO geologist standing next to it, give a sense of scale for the spatter cone. The camera to the right of the person is the thermal camera on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō shown on our website.
This is a closer look at the spatter cone on the northwest side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's crater floor. The photo was taken from near the site of the webcam on the north rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.
Spatter cone on northeast side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's crater floor
This is another of the spatter cones on the floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. This one, on the northeast side of the crater floor, has long had an open top with a view of a small lava lake. Most of the overflows from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō in the last few weeks have been fed from this spatter cone, successively piling up until the top of the spatter cone is now about level with the webcam on the north rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.
This is a steep aerial view of the small lava pond at the top of the spatter cone on the northeastern side of the crater floor. Lava in the pond flows directly into a lava tube which is supplying the active flow northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The head of the tube, marked by fume, extends from the pond toward the left side of the photo.
Views of the Kahauale‘a flow, northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō
The flow traveling north from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, which we are informally calling the Kahauale‘a flow, abuts the edge of episode 58 flows erupted during 2007-2008. The flow has also partially surrounded one of the few vestiges of greenery within the flow field—the forested top of the old Kahauale‘a cone.
This is a view of the front of the Kahauale‘a flow looking back toward Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, where the flow originates.
Ocean entry near Kupapa‘u Point
Lava continues to enter the ocean near Kupapa‘u Point, with an entry point just inside the National Park (near left side of photo) and entry points just east of the Park boundary (near the center of the photo). Widely scattered patches of surface lava are also active inland from the ocean entry points. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is a low lump on the horizon near the top of the photo immediately to the right of the image's center line. The plume from the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u is visible in the background to the left of the image's center line.
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