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A small lava pond, set within a collapse pit, has been active in the eastern portion of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater for the past several weeks. At the east margin of the lava pond, lava sinks back into the system, with frequent spatter bursts sourced from this downwelling spot.
Flows were spread across a broad expanse on the coastal plain today, and continue to slowly advance towards the ocean, but have made only minor progress over the past week. This image combines a thermal image with a normal photograph, with the bright yellow areas showing active breakouts and red/purple areas showing warm, but inactive, flow areas. The numerous fume sources on the pali mark the path of the lava tube in Royal Gardens subdivision. Compare this image to a similar one acquired on April 5.
An HVO geologist, wearing a balaclava and thick gloves to guard against the extreme heat, uses a rock hammer to take a sample of an active pāhoehoe toe. He immediately drops the fluid lava in a bucket of water to quench the sample and prevent further crystal growth, preserving the sample in a pristine state. Regular geochemical analyses of these samples provides insight on the changing magmatic plumbing system.
