Images

Over the past few days, lava has filled the floor of the Puka Nui pit (lower left) and the MLK pit (lower right) on the west end of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

Looking south toward the MLK pit (straight) and Puka Nui pit (right). Lava is only a few meters (yards) away from overtopping the pits and flowing onto the southwest flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

Starting in late June, the crater floor around the lava lake began to uplift. The photo here shows the flank of the east side of the lava lake. Prior to uplift, this steeply dipping surface was nearly flat-lying.

Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, following the collapse of the crater floor on August 3, has been filled with thick fume. A very tiny flow, visible only with a thermal camera, was active on the crater floor.

The new lava lake in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō has buried much of the floor of the August 3, 2011, collapse crater beneath a maximum of about 45 m (~148 ft) of lava. Most of the lava upwells at the east end of the lake (lower right) and flows toward the west, much like the lava lake prior to the August 3 flank breakout and crater collapse.

Over the past week, the lava pond in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater has rebuilt its retaining walls and is once again perched 3-5 m (10-16 ft) above the surrounding crater floor.

Along with overflows, low-level spattering from points wandering around the perimeter of the lava lake continually builds up the levee that impounds the lake.

The lava lake's levee stands up to 8 m (26 ft) above the surrounding crater floor. This steep-sided levee impounds the lava and forms what is called a "perched" lava lake. Pieces of the rim occasionally collapse into the lake, leading to sudden and fast-moving overflows of lava onto the crater floor.

The lava accumulating on the southeast side of the crater has begun to form a low shield that extends out from the crater and has buried the Puka Nui and MLK pits. Compare this photo to one taken last week (July 21) from the same spot.

Around 2:20 p.m., HST, on August 3, lava broke out from a vent (center) low on the west flank of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone. Lava erupting from the flank vent is entirely within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and pose no hazard to residents.

Lava flowing from vents on the west flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō formed two branches. A weak north arm advanced northward into forested kipuka (upper right). A higher-volume south arm quickly advanced down Kīlauea's south flank along the edge of flows erupted in 2002-2004 (upper left).

HVO geologist and helicopter pilot repair a mobile Webcam on Kupaianaha to continue monitoring the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

Looking west into Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater. Recent flows that have spilled out of the perched pond stand out by their silver color. These overflows have built up the crater floor another 5 m (16 ft) since last week. Kane Nui o Hamo, Mauna Ulu, and Pu‘u Huluhulu are in the background.

Another photo of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, this one looking northwest. In addition to flowing out of the crater to the southwest, lava has also been filling in the northeast side of the crater. Lava there is within 6 m (20 ft) of the crater rim. The gas plume from the vent at Kīlauea's summit is in the background.

The lava lake within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō stands higher than the surrounding crater floor. The elevation of the lava lake surface is roughly even with the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. This photo, from a slightly higher portion of the east rim, looks across the lava lake surface to the opposite lake rim.

This thermal image, looking west, shows the rubble-filled crater of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō in the foreground, with the active flow field in the top half of the image.

This view, looking east, shows the broad area of ponded lava fed by two main channels originating from several individual vents. The fume-filled crater of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is in the background. The darker lava in the foreground, at the bottom of the image, is from the March 2011 Kamoamoa eruption.

When viewed from a steeper angle (here looking west) the lava lake's shape makes it look like a huge slipper. Recent overflows appear as lighter-colored patches of lava on the crater floor around the lake.

A different perspective of the perched pond, from the west side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater.

Photo looking southwest at the lava lake in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. Starting by July 25, lava began to exit Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō through a gap in the southwest side of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone, and flowed a short distance down Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's flank. By July 29, lava had begun to pond on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's southwest flank, completely filling the Puka Nui and MLK pits.

This thermal image, looking southwest, shows the very small flow, at the bottom of the image, active in the bottom of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. In the upper right, the active flows on the lower west flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō can be seen.