Images

A closer view of the entrance to the lava tube that had been supplying 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.

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.

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.

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.

The lava pond in the northeast portion of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. A lava pond has existed here for months, but it enlarged considerably during lava level drop and collapses that occurred with the start of the June 27 breakout. Today, the lava pond was about 35 meters (yards) across, and seven meters (yards) below the rim.

Preview image for video: shows activity in the lava pond in the northeast portion of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. A lava pond has been here for months, but it enlarged considerably during the June 27 breakout as the lava level in the pond dropped.

Until recently, surface flows were active in this portion of the Kahauale‘a 2 flow, triggering small brush fires and creating smoke plumes. With the opening of new vents on June 27, the supply of lava into the Kahauale‘a 2 tube was shut off (see photos of the tube above). There were no active surface flows anywhere on the Kahauale‘a 2 flow today.

The June 27 breakout initially produced a channelized lava flow that reached Pu‘u Kahauale‘a (about 1.5 km, or 0.9 miles, from the vent) during the first day, but over the past two days the surface flows have retreated closer to the vent, building a lava shield (visible just above the center of the photograph).

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.

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.

The advancing front of the channelized flow northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The front this morning was 1.5 km (0.9 miles) from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

Thermal image of the channelized lava flow. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is at the top of the image. The line of slightly lower temperatures down the center of the channel represents more intact (and cooler) crust, which is less disrupted than the lava near the channel margins.

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.