Images

Aftermath of the 1960 Chilean tsunami in Hilo, Hawaii, where the tsunami caused 61 deaths.

‘A‘ā flow has just reached the barrier built between KUKi‘i and Kapoho.

The high front of an advancing ‘A‘ā flow forms the ridge between the papaya orchard and the fountain. The defoliation had occurred by January 16, 1960.

House belonging to the Hongo family set fire by advancing ‘A‘ā in the foreground, 1800 January 16, 1960. Note fountain behind tree near right edge of view.

A river of ‘A‘ā is pouring from the far side of the cone and moving to the right, hemmed in by the scarp along the Koa‘e fault, visible between the fountain and the right edge of the photo.

Incandescent lava particles can be seen above the fountain between the light and dark steam clouds. Photo looking uprift toward area of vent C, taken at 1000 January 14 by D.H. Richter. Left-hand lava fountain may be vent B.

View westward along the Kapoho fault scarp in the village of Kapoho following a swarm of earthquakes in the area. The ground cracking was caused by subsidence of a graben (down-dropped block) that spanned the community.

Fractures along the Kapoho fault hours after an earthquake swarm began in the area early on January 13, 1960. Residents in and near Kapoho village reported feeling the earthquakes, and HVO scientists on the scene described "the ground beneath our feet in almost constant motion" and hearing "low-pitched booming sounds" accompanying the largest earthquakes.

Coconut palms were stripped by heavy tephra fall during the Kapoho eruption. These lie north of the fissure with volcanic bomb craters indenting the tephra on the flank of the new cone, Pu‘u Laimana.

This house fell into Hebgen Lake during the 1959 earthquake and floated along the shore until it came to rest here. The owner of the house, then-70-year-old Mrs. Grace Miller, escaped only after kicking out her front door and leaping a 5-foot-wide ground crack as her house dropped into the lake.

Great quantities of lava pour from the base of a 480-m-tall (1,575 ft) fountain about 65 minutes after the start of episode 16. Lava discharge at this time was about 1.3 million cubic meters per hour (1.7 million cubic yards), which sent lava over the entire lake by 4:05 a.m.

Lava drains back into the vent about 70 minutes after the 16th episode ended. This episode covered the entire lava lake with new lava; only part of the smaller west crater is visible in this view of the vent area. As the lava poured into the vent, large sections of the dark lake crust were pulled apart by the differential movement of the molten lava below.

Photo taken at 7:00am from Byron Ledge.

By March 20th activity near the Nii farm on Kalapana road had ended. As magma drained from the area an explosion opened a new pit crater directly across the road from the home of Mr. Nii. This was the first time that HVO scientists had opportunity to document the formation of pit crater.

On March 16th, a small fountain opened near Iilewa Crater, west of the Pahoa-Kalapana Road. By March 20th fountains near Iilewa had increased shooting to heights of 700 feet sending lava flows downslope toward Iwasaki Camp.

This image shows the spatter cone 16 hours after lava first appeared in the fissure. The cone ultimately grew to a height of 75 feet and became a popular tourist attraction.

On March 4th fountains up slope coalesced into a large 'a'? flow which was named the Kii Flow.

This aerial view of the initial outbreak shows lava fountains erupting en echelon (staggered) fashion. Automobiles are parked along the Pahoa-Pohoiki Road. These fountains spawned a lava flow which quickly blocked the highway.

Fissure of lava fountains erupting from Mauna Loa's upper southwest rift zone, June 2, 1950. Plumes of volcanic gas rise high into the air. Aerial photograph taken by the Air National Guard.

The Ka‘apuna flow traveled from the Southwest Rift Zone vent (7,800 ft elevation) to the coast in just 17 hours.

Photograph taken from sea aboard a ship.