Images

A closer look at the stream of lava pouring into the deep ground crack. See Quicktime videos above.

Map showing the June 27th flow in Kīlauea's East Rift Zone as of August 29, 2014. The area of the flow as mapped on August 28 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the flow as of August 29 is shown in red. All older lava flows (1983-2014) are shown in gray. The thin yellow line marks a portion of the lava tube feeding the flow.

The steaming ground crack observed yesterday suggested that lava was close to the surface within the crack, and today lava in the crack reached the surface and began spilling out into the thick forest. The leading edge of the lava today was near the abandoned well site (cleared area at left).

At the site of the isolated pad of lava near the leading edge of the June 27th flow, renewed surface flows today resurfaced the existing lava flow and also spilled into nearby ground cracks. In this photograph, two large streams of lava plunge into a crack that is a couple meters (yards) wide.

The vent for the June 27th lava flow is on the upper northeast flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The vent area is now covered by lava, but the lava tube that carries lava to the flow front is easily visible by the line of blue-colored fume. In the lower right, two skylights can be seen.

Another wide view of the leading edge of the June 27th lava flow, again looking east. This shows the east end of the isolated lava pad. The thick smoke originates from lava filling a deep ground crack up to the surface. The smoke partly obscures the abandoned well site.

At the far end of the lava-filled crack, lava spilled out towards the north a very short distance. In this view from a thermal camera, the small lobe of lava moving north is easily visible. The trees surrounding the crack show brighter colors as they are heated by the lava flow, but not to the point of combustion.

Steam rising from Kīlauea's East Rift Zone ground crack - lava flowing within crack from June 27 breakout. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone center horizon Kīlauea volcano, Hawai‘i.

A closer view of the pad of lava that emerged from the ground crack earlier this week, which had renewed surface flows today.

A wide view of the leading edge of the June 27th lava flow, looking east down Kīlauea's East Rift Zone. The main body of the June 27th flow ends near the center of the photograph, where lava poured into a deep ground crack.

Temporary Global Positioning Systems (GPS) stations are deployed to determine if uplift continues in the Three Sisters area. Since surface changes were discovered in 2001, the rate of uplift has decreased to less than 1.0 cm (0.4 in.) per year.

Map showing the June 27th flow in Kīlauea's East Rift Zone as of August 28, 2014. The area of the flow as mapped on August 27 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the flow as of August 28 is shown in red. All older lava flows (1983-2014) are shown in gray. The thin yellow line marks a portion of the lava tube feeding the flow.

Steaming (center of photograph) was reported this morning east of the small pad of lava (just above center) that emerged from a ground crack this past week. This renewed progression of steaming suggests that lava is again continuing to advance beneath the surface, along these ground cracks.

This figure compares the photo above with an equivalent view from a thermal camera. The plumes of smoke mark the farthest active lava on the surface (small, scattered lobes of pāhoehoe), which are also shown as small hotspots in the thermal image.

Closer to the vent on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, one of several skylights provides a view of the flowing lava stream within the lava tube. This lava tube supplies lava from the vent to the active surface flows near the flow front.

Slow-moving pāhoehoe advances through thick forest northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The pāhoehoe lobes surround, and burn through, the base of the trees. By the time the trees topple over, the lava surface temperature has cooled sufficiently that the downed trees do not completely burn through, leaving a field of tree trunks on the recent lava surface.

A closer of the new steaming. The thick vegetation obscures direct views of the ground crack, and only a line of steaming and browned vegetation is evident at the surface.

Another view of the lava expanding into the forest.

A closer view of the southern lobe of the June 27th lava flow. Smoke plumes originate from active surface breakouts, the farthest today reached 8.5 km (5.3 miles) from the vent on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The spot at which this lobe plunged into a deep ground crack last week can be seen near the bottom of the photograph.

The isolated pad of lava that emerged from the deep ground crack several days ago did not have any active breakouts at the surface today, but incandescent lava could be seen in numerous cracks on the surface. This likely represents lava that had ponded within the flow and remains hot, but immobile.

A comparison of the normal photograph (see above) of the south lobe of the June 27th flow with an equivalent view from the thermal camera. The thermal camera clearly shows the extent of the farthest active breakout, which was relatively small.