Lava cascade above Kalapana Road on May 17, 1956
Detailed Description
On May 16th the volume of lava emerging from the base of the Iilewa vents increased. Much of this lava accumulated in a pond between two of the cinder cones. Spill-over from the pond produced a spectacular cascade which rafted large rolling blocks of congealed material down a channel to form an active 'a'? flow front ten to twelve feet high and 700 feet wide.
Multiple flows crossed the Pahoa-Kalapana road again and threatened to sever the coastal road isolating Kalapana village. But the flows stagnated on May 18th and did not cut off access to the area.