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Spatter from western vent in West Gap Pit, under very fumy conditions. "Pit" is really a misnomer now, for what was a pit has been filled by lava flows. Gas masks were in order this morning, as they were for all subsequent images taken in West Gap Pit. Height of spatter cone is about 7 m. This is same spatter cone that was much more active on October 3 (see archived images for that day, which view other side of cone.
Looking west at eastern vent in West Gap Pit, incandescent and recently spitting spatter. This vent is also shown in some images taken on October 3. Cone at vent is about 6 m high. Glow from western vent visible in upper left. Note the thick, tasty fume.
Eastern vent in West Gap Pit, looking northeast across head of West Gap Pit with looming rim of Pu`u `O`o crater in background. West lip of Pu`u `O`o crater is shown about halfway up right side of image.
The following four images take advantage of early morning sun angle to show features near Pu`u `O`o. Spatter cone formed early in Pu`u `O`o eruption, once called 1123 cone and now known as Pu`u Halulu. Location is about 1 km downrift of Pu`u `O`o. Cone has been invaded and nearly covered by lava flows erupted later in eruption.
Skylights define course of old lava tube back toward Pu`u `O`o. View looks northwestward. Fuming area to left is Cookie Monster area along upper Mother's Day flow and is where numerous hornitos have formed, including those shown in images for October 24. West Gap Pit is hidden in this and right image just west of Pu`u `O`o.
Map shows lava flows erupted during 1983-present activity of Pu`u `O`o and Kupaianaha. Red denotes Mother's Day flow, which began erupting on May 12, 2002 and continues to the present.Through September and into early October, lava was moving along the east and west sides of the Mother's Day flow. The east-side lava (known as the August 9 breakout) came from the August 9 rootless shield, itself fed by the main Mother's Day tube from Pu`u `O`o. The west side lava, known as the Kohola arm of the Mother's Day flow, branched off the tube system below the rootless shield.In early October, the August 9 breakout stopped moving, the Kohola died back to a trickle, and the rootless shield gained prominence. By October 16, however, the shield had partly collapsed, leaving several drained perched ponds behind. Upstream from the shield, many hornitos and small flows formed over the Mother's Day tube.
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