Perched lava ponds have developed outside of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō

Since overflows to the west began yesterday morning (9/14), perched lava ponds have developed outside of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater on the cone's upper west flank. Unless something else gives, these ponds will likely continue to grow taller, impounded by chilled lava from the ponds themselves. Overflows from the ponds will continue to mantle the west flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The pond in the foreground is formed by lava exiting the crater through a broad gap in the cone called the "West Gap". Lava also flows out of the crater through another broad gap called the "Puka Nui Gap", and is visible in the background just above the center of the image. A remnant of tephra from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone pokes up between the two ponds, just left of image center. The white spot on top of this tephra is a time-lapse camera which has little time left in this world.