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Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - August 7, 2018

By Kīlauea August 7, 2014

Kīlauea summit

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Between mid-May and early August, 2018, the depth of Halema‘uma‘u more than tripled and its diameter more than doubled as magma from Kīlauea's shallow summit reservoir moved into the lower East Rift Zone. Evidence of subsidence is visible in this video, taken during an early morning helicopter overflight on August 6, 2018. Cracks and down-dropped blocks of the caldera floor have slumped into Halema‘uma‘u. At the base of the steep crater walls are piles of talus (rock fragments) shaken loose during previous summit collapse events. Areas of persistent steaming within the crater, in the vicinity of the former lava lake, are also visible.

Kīlauea lower East Rift Zone

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Early morning overflight view of the small lava pond within the fissure 8 cone. Weak lava bubbling and convection was occurring in the pond, which was around 5-10 m (about 16-33 ft) below the channel spillway.
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Lava in the fissure 8 channel is now crusted over. Fissure 8 and other inactive fissures are steaming the background, a common sight during early morning overflights (cooler air temperature results in more condensation, making steam more visible).
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Active breakouts on the western side of the Ahalanui lobe of the fissure 8 flow near Isaac Hale Beach Park were visible this morning. There was no apparent advance of the flow toward the Pohoiki boat ramp since yeterday.
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Cracks parallel to the shoreline are developing in the lava delta near Kapoho and Vacation Lots—a reminder that lava deltas are inherently unstable and prone to collapse, one of the many hazards associated with ocean entries.
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