Images

Lava has been overflowing the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater over the last few days. These overflows have traveled up to about 500 m down Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's east flank before stalling as the slope flattens. The overflows show up in this photo as lighter gray pahoehoe and ‘A‘ā flows at the center of the image. The view is to the west.

The overflows were fed from the edge of an active lava lake filling the east side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. As the lake and its containing levees has risen, an ever increasing amount of the east rim of the crater is being buried. This photo, looking roughly northwest, shows lava overflowing the east rim of the crater.

A lava lake also fills the western side of the crater. This morning, lava overflowed that lake, and then filled and overtopped the northwest rim of a pit on the west side of the crater (the West Gap pit; just above and to the right side of the photo). These flows have traveled up to about 400 m down the northwest flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō to its base.

Since overflows to the west began yesterday morning (9/14), perched lava ponds have developed outside of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater on the cone's upper west flank. Unless something else gives, these ponds will likely continue to grow taller, impounded by chilled lava from the ponds themselves. Overflows from the ponds will continue to mantle the west flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

This thermal image, looking east, shows the two perched lava ponds within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. The eastern perched pond was just below the level of the east rim today.

This photograph, looking west, shows the active lava within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater in the early morning light.

This photograph shows a close-up of the perched lava pond abutting the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. The lava was just a meter (yard) or so below the low point on the rim, and was close to spilling over.

This vertical view from today's overflight shows the layout of activity within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. The shiny area towards the right portion of the crater floor is the eastern perched lava pond, while the shiny area in the left portion of the crater floor (close to the center of the image) is the western perched pond.

Steam rises from the Mud Geyser fumarole on the northeast side of the Mud Volcano thermal area in Yellowstone National Park. Gas that discharges from Mud Geyser has the most magmatic character of any sampled feature in Yellowstone.

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

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.

A breach in the south wall of the perched pond allowed lava to gush out onto the floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater.

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.

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).

At 2:02 p.m., HST, on August 3, the floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, which had risen significantly over the past month, forming a dome beneath the perched lava lake, started to subside. By 3:15 p.m., the crater floor and perched lava lake began to collapse. Within a couple of hours, the lava lake was no longer visible, and the crater floor was covered in rubble.

This thermal image, looking south, shows the individual vents feeding distinct channels.

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.

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.

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.

The new lava lake has become slightly perched above the surrounding crater floor, as shown by the distinct levees visible in this photo.