Images

A remarkable perched lava pond was active on the June 27 lava flow more than a month ago. On August 12 a small lava flow erupted from the rim of the inactive pond, with the flow presumably originating from fluid lava that remained in the perched pond interior.

Greg Javar snaps a "selfie" while helping USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Matt Patrick (right) set up a thermal camera to record lava lake activity within the summit vent of Kīlauea Volcano.

Portions of the June 27 lava flow continue to expand and cover older flows from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

The June 27 flow remains active, and has advanced further into the forest over the past week. The flow front today was 8.5 km (5.3 miles) northeast of the vent on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō (see "map" link above for current flow field map). The flow's continued brisk advance rate is likely related, in part, to its continued confinement by local topography.

A skylight reveals the fluid lava stream within the main tube on the June 27 lava flow. The recently active perched lava pond is in the upper left portion of the photograph.

Map showing the June 27th flow at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō in Kīlauea's East Rift Zone in relation to the eastern part of the Island of Hawai‘i as of August 12, 2014. The area of the flow as mapped on August 6 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the flow as of August 12 is shown in red.

Another view of the flow front, looking east. The small bump on the horizon, near the center of the photograph, is the forested cone of Heiheiahulu.

Thick fume continues to obscure views into Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater with the naked eye. The thermal camera has proven useful recently to see the hidden activity, which includes several small lava ponds (see thermal image from the July 29 overflight, below).

A closer look into the skylight on the June 27 lava flow, revealing complex structure within the lava tube. The bright incandescent area is the fluid lava stream, which was slowly but steadily flowing through the tube.

The usual lava lake activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u Crater with no major changes related to the recent hurricane. This afternoon the lake surface was about 40 meters (130 ft) below the floor of Halema‘uma‘u Crater, which has been typical over the past several weeks.

Map showing the June 27th flow at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō in Kīlauea's East Rift Zone in relation to the eastern part of the Island of Hawai‘i as of August 6, 2014. The area of the flow as mapped on July 29 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the flow as of August 6 is shown in red.

A wider view of the flow front, looking east. The June 27 flow is the lighter-colored lava passing through the center of the photograph.

The June 27 flow continues to advance at a brisk rate, and has reached the forest boundary over the past week. On today's overflight, thick plumes of smoke from burning vegetation partially obscured the flow front. See the "maps" link above for today's flow field map.

Example model output of possible ash distribution from a month-long Yellowstone supereruption. Results vary depending on wind and eruption conditions. Historical winds for January 2001 used here.

A weak plume typically forms above small eruptions such as the April-May 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano, Iceland. A strong plume with a major umbrella cloud forms during very large eruptions, such as Pinatubo on June 15, 1991. During superuruptions, such clouds may push their way hundreds or thousands of kilometers upwind.

Landslides triggered by the magnitude-6.7 Kīholo Bay and magnitude-6.0 Māhukona earthquakes on October 15, 2006, stripped vegetation from the East Branch of HonokaKAHAKOne Nui Valley and extensively damaged the Kohala Ditch Trail that zigazags across the valley wall. USGS photo.

The June 27 flow front has advanced more rapidly over the past four days, and is now 4.2 km (2.6 miles) from the vent. This recent increased advance rate is due to the confinement of the flow against the slopes of an older perched lava channel, from 2007.

View, looking southwest, of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the new perched lava pond. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is the fume-filled crater in the top half of the image. The circular feature in the lower portion of the photograph is the perched lava pond active earlier this month, which was fed by the June 27 lava flow.

Map showing the June 27th flow at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō in Kīlauea's East Rift Zone. The area of the flow as mapped on July 18 is shown in pink, while widening of the flow as of July 29 is shown in red.

Another view of the front of the June 27 flow, looking northeast. The flow front has narrowed as it has been confined against the slopes of the 2007 perched lava channel, and this is associated with a higher advance rate of the flow front over the past four days.

Visual-thermal comparison of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, looking west. In the normal photograph on the left, large portions of the crater floor are obscured by thick volcanic fume. The thermal image on the right can "see" through this fume, revealing features in the crater. Over the past month, a large portion of the crater floor has subsided.