Jan is Volcano Awareness Month on the Island of Hawai‘i

The dark-colored ‘A‘ā flow advancing toward the South Kona coastal village of Ho‘ōpūloa (foreground) on April 17, 1926, is a reminder of why Island of Hawai‘i residents should be aware of the hazards posed by the volcanoes on which they live. This flow was fed by eruptive vents that opened high on Mauna Loa's Southwest Rift Zone three days earlier. It was 1,500 feet wide and about 30 feet high in this aerial photo, but the ‘A‘ā flow continued to widen and thicken as it pushed through the village and reached the ocean on the morning of April 18. Photo courtesy of Army Air Corps, 11th Photo Section.