Images

Map showing the June 27, 2014, breakout and the Kahauale‘a 2 flow in relation to the eastern part of the Island of Hawai‘i as of June 30, 2014. The Kahauale‘a 2 flow (pale orange) is no longer active — it was beheaded when the lava level at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō dropped with the onset of the June 27 breakout.

Map showing the June 27, 2014, breakout at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō in Kīlauea's East Rift Zone. The area of the new flow as mapped on June 27 is shown in pink, while widening of the flow as June 30 is shown in red.

This comparison of the normal photograph with a thermal image shows the extent of the lava shield clearly. The lava shield is visible as the area of high temperatures (hot colors) in the thermal image. Corresponding spots are marked with small arrows for reference.

A view of the lava shield with the thermal camera.

A view from the ground of the lava pond in the northeast portion of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. Note the layering exposed in the wall above the pond surface.

View of the wall above the lava pond in the northeast portion of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. The lava pond surface is in the lower portion of the photograph. The dark hole in the upper part of the photograph is the truncated entrance to the lava tube that had been supplying lava to the Kahauale‘a 2 flow.

Another look at the lava shield formed from lava erupting from the June 27 vent. The shield consists of a broad, and relatively flat, top with multiple narrow streams of lava flowing down the sides.

A closer view of the entrance to the lava tube that had been supplying the Kahauale‘a 2 flow.

Preview image for video: shows the swiftly moving lava in the channelized flow.

A closer look at the breakout points of today's new activity. The lava erupted from several fissures which broke through, and slightly uplifted, older lava on the cone.

Another view of the spatter coating the area around the breakout point.

The withdrawal of magma from within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, to feed the new flows, has caused minor subsidence of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater floor since this morning. This was associated with small collapses at the spatter cones on the crater floor. A partial collapse of this cone revealed a small pond of lava just below the surface.

As noted above, the new flows have caused withdrawal of magma within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and small collapses of the several cones on the crater floor. Dropping lava levels in the northeast lava pond in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater caused collapses and enlargement of the pond, which has nearly claimed the time-lapse camera (left side of images) observing the lava pond.

Lava flow breakout from northeast flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano.

Elevated pressure within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone reached a breaking point this morning with magma intruding through the cone and erupting from fissures on the northeast flank of the cone. These new vents fed a vigorous, but still relatively short, channelized flow that had reached about 1.5 km (0.9 miles) northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō by 11 am.

This comparison of a normal photograph with a thermal image shows the distribution of activity northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. Today's breakouts originated from several fissures on the upper northeast flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone, sending out flows to the northeast. These partially overlap with the existing Kahauale‘a 2 flow, which had scattered surface flows this morning.

A very close view of one of the breakout points, with fresh spatter coating the older lava.

Map showing the Kahauale‘a 2 flow (pink) in relation to the eastern part of the Island of Hawai‘i as of June 17, 2014. The most distant active Kahauale‘a 2 lava flows were 7.1 km (4.4 miles) straight-line distance northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

Preview image for video: shows a large chunk of lava being pushed by the current in the channel.

Surface flows remained active this morning on the Kahauale‘a 2 flow, but today's observations suggest that the new breakouts at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō may have interrupted the lava supply to the Kahauale‘a 2 flow field. Observations over the next few days will be able to determine if the lava supply to the Kahauale‘a 2 flow has ceased.

View of the sinuous channelized flow that is moving to the northeast. The flow front this morning was about 1.5 km (0.9 miles) from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.