Images

View looking northeast, toward Kalapana Gardens, with the eastern of the two ocean entries in the foreground.

A 1-meter-wide channel feeds a surge of lava that broke out from the inflating flow margin on the Hakuma horst, sending a fast-moving - but relatively small - flow through coconut palms towards the ocean.

View of lava cascading down the sea cliff onto the delta at the western ocean entry.

In the past day a second finger of lava overtopped the Hakuma horst and pushed through thick vegetation towards the ocean. The flow front was less than 20 meters from the sea cliff this morning. Along the margins of this finger, lava triggered numerous small fires, sending thick smoke through the forest of hala trees and coconut palms.

The flows that reached the ocean on July 25 continued to build a small delta today.

The front of this small finger of lava was almost to the sea cliff this morning, and was burning through low brush along the coastline.

The finger of lava that reached the ocean yesterday took out numerous trees on its path to the water. This coconut palm was one of many burned and fallen.

A narrow finger of lava reached the ocean just after 2 pm yesterday. By this afternoon the lava had built a small delta, barely visible through the thick steam plume. Lava also remained active on the coastal plain, close to residences in Kalapana.

View towards the south, showing the recent lava abutting the Hakuma horst, which is directing flows towards the east. The fault scarp extends about 2 meters above the level of the lava here.

The air was thick with smoke from burning vegetation and asphalt. Flows here were crossing Highway 137 and moving slowly towards a residence.

More breakouts were active along Highway 137 today, with this lobe burning through a grove of ironwood trees before reaching the asphalt.

Lava flows have reached the north facing scarp of the Hakuma horst (the vegetated segment roughly shaped like California), temporarily stopping flows toward the south, sending them along the scarp to the east and west. If the flows continue to inflate, they will overcome the topography of the horst and once again flow toward the ocean.

In July 2010, lava erupted from Kilauea Volcano's east rift zone burned vegetation on the coastal plain as active flows advanced toward Kalapana Gardens, the same area inundated by lava flows in 1990. Two homes in the subdivision were destroyed by lava in 2010 -- one in July and one in November.

This composite image combines a thermal image with a normal photograph, and shows the active flow front in Kalapana. The flow is abutting the raised ground of the Hakuma horst, which is diverting the flows to the east and bringing them closer to residences.

Scorched ground extended out beyond the flow margins, as the lava triggered small fires that consumed adjacent grass and underbrush.

Flows continue to be active south of the Kalapana access road, heading in a generally eastward direction. These breakouts were active just a few hundred meters east of the County lava viewing area.

The advancing flows triggered many small fires, with underbrush burned up to a hundred meters ahead of the flow.

Flows continued to be active along Hwy 137, inching closer towards houses in Kalapana. This photo shows an inflated flow front that has ruptured, spilling out the fluid lava within the flow.

Flows reached the Kalapana access road in the past day, and covered about 300 meters of asphalt. The burning asphalt created a plume of thick, black smoke.

Flows were also active in kipukas north and south of the access road today, and were pushing through thick vegetation.

This active lobe disregarded the fence and continued south on its way to the ocean.