Images

The June 27th lava flow remained active, and the flow front was nearing residential areas in the northwest portion of Pāhoa. The flow front was heading towards a low spot on the Pāhoa Village Road, between AP‘A‘ā St. and the post office. This photo was taken at 11:30 am today, when the flow front was 540 meters (0.3 miles) from Pāhoa Village Road.

This annotated photograph shows the notable features around the flow front. The photo was taken at 11:30 am, and also shows the distance the flow front has traveled between Cemetery Rd./AP‘A‘ā St. and Pāhoa Village Rd.

The June 27th lava flow, named for the date in 2014 that the flow started, threatened to inundate different parts of Pāhoa and cross Highway 130 between September 2014 and March 2015. The leading tip of the flow is about 18 km (11 mi) in a straight line distance from the vent located on the flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

Incandescent cracks are abundant in the surface of the June 27th lava flow just above the Pāhoa cemetery. Lava is accumulating beneath the flow's upper crust, causing it to inflate.

Late on Sunday afternoon, a barbed wire fence is overrun by lava from the June 27th flow lobe that crossed through the Pāhoa cemetery earlier in the day. To the far left in the distance, a plume of smoke marks the location of the flow lobe that passed southeast of the cemetery and through the pasture.

A slightly closer view of the flow front. AP‘A‘ā St. is in the lower portion of the photograph, and the transfer station is in the lower right. Pāhoa Village Road is in the upper left portion of the photograph.

A typical portion of the pāhoehoe flow margin near the flow front, just downslope of Cemetery Rd./AP‘A‘ā St. The horizontal incandescent cracks seen in the center and right portions of the photo indicate that the flow was inflating. pāhoehoe inflation is driven by continued supply of lava beneath the surface crust, which slowly raises the surface.

As of 10 AM, HST, on October 26, 2014, the June 27th flow front remains active and continues to advance towards the northeast. A portion of the front is still moving through the open field (shown here), while the leading tip of the flow has advanced through the Pāhoa cemetery.

After slowly moving downslope from Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone since June 27, 2014, this active lava flow in Hawaiʻi reached the town of Pāhoa just before Halloween, destroying roads, a cemetery, and private property in this community.

Some of the flow front had the appearance of "slabby" pāhoehoe, which is the type of pāhoehoe in which the surface consists of numerous broken, overturned slabs.

This map uses a satellite image acquired in March 2014 (provided by Digital Globe) as a base to show the area around the front of the June 27th lava flow. The area of the flow on October 24, 2014, at 12:10 PM is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the flow as mapped on October 25 at 5:00 PM is shown in red.

This map uses a satellite image acquired in March 2014 (provided by Digital Globe) as a base to show the area around the front of the June 27th lava flow. The area of the flow on October 25, 2014, at 5:00 PM is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the flow as mapped on October 26 at 12:30 PM is shown in red.

An HVO geologist takes a GPS waypoint at the flow front. This measurement is done sequentially throughout the day to measure flow advance rates. The flow front was moving through tall grass in an open field downslope of AP‘A‘ā St. today.

A section of the flow margin near the flow front, showing a continuous horizontal incandescent crack that indicates ongoing flow inflation. HVO geologist for scale. The flow here was only about a meter thick, but slightly farther upslope where the lava has had more time to inflate the thickness was closer to two meters.

One of the rotated surface slabs presses against the fencing that runs along the small road to the cemetery.

An HVO geologist maps the margin of the June 27th lava flow in the open field below AP‘A‘ā Street / Cemetery Road.

An HVO geologist walks across the surface of the flow, which covers the short access road to the cemetery. As is typical for pāhoehoe, the flow has inflated over the past day and was chest high in many places.

Kīlauea's June 27th lava flow crosses AP‘A‘ā road west of Pāhoa Village, Hawai‘i. Dark smoke is from burning asphalt. Telephone pole upper right is wrapped in insulation then a barrier of cinder.

The June 27th lava flow crossed AP‘A‘ā Street / Cemetery Road at 3:50 AM, HST, Saturday morning, October 25, 2014. In this photo, which was taken at about 9 AM Saturday, the flow is moving from right to left, with burning asphalt visible along it's NW margin. A utility pole, far right, was surrounded by lava but remained standing at the time of the photo.

A small shed is consumed by lava in the pasture between the Pāhoa cemetery and AP‘A‘ā Street.

At 11 AM Saturday, the June 27th flow was advancing down the grassy driveway that leads to the Pāhoa cemetery. This view is looking upslope towards AP‘A‘ā Street along the cemetery driveway.