Volcano update.

[DiLeon]

For the first time in over 40 years, there is no lava flowing into the ocean nor anywhere. The air is no longer foggy with vog, the island of Hawaii has crisp clean air. The people are trying to get the state to put in roads to there homes but that is a major process, and many have zero ways to return home which roads are 30 feet deep in lava.
The last update from USGS-HVO on Kīlauea was quite comprehensive, overall the volcano is quiet. Based upon the historical record the most likely place for any new activity is going to be inside the Kilauea caldera, likely to happen within a few years, this is our conclusion as well. Potentially it could be years before magma is erupted rather than stored, the longest pause in activity at Kilauea was 17 years. Based on historical observations, the next eruption on one of the volcano's rift zones will be a decade or longer.

Large scale steam-driven explosions at the Kīlauea Summit similar to the events of 1790 and centuries prior cannot be ruled out in the future, but they’re not indicated at this time. One of the largest questions currently is if an activity will return to an effusive style of eruption seen over the last 200 years or a return to more explosive activity of previous centuries. Similarly, the possibility of renewed summit collapse events cannot be ruled out, however, monitoring data does not suggest this is occurring.

So for now the first time in two decades the alert level on this volcano is down to normal.

[DiLeon]

55557335_10218970748209693_7300022867809271808_n.jpgThis is one ot the newest beaches in the world. One of the many black sand beaches created by the massive volcano lava.

[Brian T]

Dileon: is that black sand sharp and prickly? After Mt St. Helens blew open in the 1980's(?), the ash sand stuck to your skin if you touched it. Sharp & pointy.
Interesting. I didn't thing that Kilauea would ever stop.

[DiLeon]

55882019_10157332093566694_6463313880784306176_n.jpgCrisp clean air is enjoyed by the islands for the first time, no volcano ash floating in the air. No more vog warning.....YES!!!

[DiLeon]

Dileon: is that black sand sharp and prickly? After Mt St. Helens blew open in the 1980's(?), the ash sand stuck to your skin if you touched it. Sharp & pointy.
Interesting. I didn't thing that Kilauea would ever stop.

Actually in the ash when the volcano was active was hair like glass floating in the air. The worst part was getting it in your eyes and breathing it. Although the pictures I have see the volcano sand is smooth,...I would also question if it does have sharp pieces? I do know the large black rocks you see on the water front do have black glass edges and can cut you into ribbons so you have to stay away from that but the beach to walk on.. We do have old black sand beaches people go to, ....the sand does not hurt you. W1siZiIsInVwbG9hZHMvcGxhY2VfaW1hZ2VzLzM4NWU2YTcxNTU1ZDU5YTVlZV84MDBweC1QdW5hbHV1X0JsYWNrX1NhbmRfQmVhY2gsX0hhd2FpaSxfVVNBNi5qcGciXSxbInAiLCJ0aHVtYiIsIjEyMDB4PiJdLFsicCIsImNvbnZlcnQiLCItcXVhbGl0eSA4MSAtYXV0by1vcmllb.jpg

[DiLeon]

This was 12 homes and residential area....it all started with a crack in this guys yard with steam coming out which he showed his neighbors.....today it stands as fissure eight. Scary what really did happen.
images.jpg

[Brian T]

I should have come over to your place and had a look at whatever I'd be allowed to see.
Do those lava flows stay hot for a long time?

[honketyhank]

Thanks for the update. I have followed the volcano news and videos with great interest. Something about 'geology in action' or some such is awe inspiring. I was driving near Mt. St. Helens last month and took the time to drive up to look into the crater and at the slowly recovering landscape. That was awesome, too.

I'm glad you're safe. I'm still wondering about that rooster in the live streams last summer. Is he, well, as cocky as ever?

[Daroc]

That is great news - glad to hear it is abated for a time at least.

[DiLeon]

I should have come over to your place and had a look at whatever I'd be allowed to see.
Do those lava flows stay hot for a long time?

I flew over one time to the big island the time was about 20 years ago.....to see the lava pouring into the ocean. But I found out fast I could not get anywhere near it to see anything. You had to book a helicopter flight in the late evening or night time to see it. Or go the ocean tour....I did not have extra money to do that. There were roadblocks where you could see the flow...black which is normal in the area.....in the day time one mile away. It was heavily guarded then. I was so disappointed I never went back. When this was going on...it was not just guarded....the national guard was there....tickets for going anywhere near it could be a jail sentence, plus court ....plus a felony charge.... a risk major. Never had the desire to break the law,.......I am one of those kinds of people get caught doing anything. LOL Honestly you would never see anything unless you did the helicopter tour or the boat thing. The boat thing and those explosions into the ocean....no thank you. Right now the danger of going into the area would be the falling in areas from large earthquake cracks and the lava tubes falling in from the surface. Hot ground depends where you are...from what I understand there is not any lava flow near the surface? The only thing to see in the island is the massive nothing but black lava rock which is very uneven and easy to fall on.....glass in the rock can really cut you up. Not worth a trip in my opinion.

[DiLeon]

Thanks for the update. I have followed the volcano news and videos with great interest. Something about 'geology in action' or some such is awe inspiring. I was driving near Mt. St. Helens last month and took the time to drive up to look into the crater and at the slowly recovering landscape. That was awesome, too.

I'm glad you're safe. I'm still wondering about that rooster in the live streams last summer. Is he, well, as cocky as ever?

Not sure about the rooster...LOL he was a mess.....darn feral chickens although .....I am super chasing out of my garden this year....eating my strawberries....going to have to net the plants. Long island roosters are big and a pest... This is the leader of the gang, he is big one!!!
.. I love watching the volcano here....although what a major science lesson. I also enjoy meteorology will be plastered to the hurricane chasers and meteorology forums....again this year...as stressful as that is ....hopeful more manageable than last year.55f214061700009a01569ec0.jpeg

[DiLeon]

That is great news - glad to hear it is abated for a time at least.

I was thrilled with the science, you learn fast how little do they know.....fact that she may blow from shutting off like this,...is the next question. Sitting here and watching all this is once in a lifetime. Getting ready for the next natural disaster which could be our hurricanes we had five come too near the islands last year and right now ...no predictions as what kind of year it will be? Meteorologist are silent...as last year was unpresidential in the manner that a handful did not behave like the ones in the past, no one knew where they were going. Lane dumped 51 inches...on the islands....thank goodness we are mountains, for the most part, it drains fast and no build up.... Climate Change they said is pushing them in our direction.....more so than in the past???

[DiLeon]

That is great news - glad to hear it is abated for a time at least.

I was thrilled with the science, you learn fast how little do they know.....fact that she may blow from shutting off like this,...is the next question. Sitting here and watching all this is once in a lifetime. Getting ready for the next natural disaster which could be our hurricanes we had five come too near the islands last year and right now ...no predictions as what kind of year it will be? Meteorologist are silent...as last year was unpresidential in the manner that a handful did not behave like the ones in the past, no one knew where they were going. Lane dumped 51 inches...on the islands....thank goodness we are mountains, for the most part, it drains fast and no build up.... Climate Change they said is pushing them in our direction.....more so than in the past???

[Brian T]

I visited a little volcanic eruption west of my place, it happened maybe 100 yrs ago.
The lava was still like broken glass. They said to stay on marked trails because of the house-sized
gas bubbles in the lava that you could fall into. Filled the valley 100' deep and 15 miles to tide water.
You could listen to the ground and hear the rivers flowing under the lava.
That place gave me the absolute creeps.

[DiLeon]

I visited a little volcanic eruption west of my place, it happened maybe 100 yrs ago.
The lava was still like broken glass. They said to stay on marked trails because of the house-sized
gas bubbles in the lava that you could fall into. Filled the valley 100' deep and 15 miles to tide water.
You could listen to the ground and hear the rivers flowing under the lava.
That place gave me the absolute creeps.

Funny I do not like going to the big island because of that reason.....the creeps was a good way of explaining it. .....that feeling like there is something very spooky about it all.