Cleveland and Kīlauea Remain at ORANGE Alert

Explosion destroys dome in Cleveland summit crater

Sudden explosions of blocks and ash may occur, while the volcano remains active, with the ash clouds rising to above 20,000 feet above sea level, AVO said.

• Elevation:  5,676 ft (1,730 m)
• Location: 52.8222° N, 169.945° W
• Quadrangle: Samalga

Mt Cleveland. Photo taken at 18:00 UTC on 11 Mar 2012 while transiting north through Samalga pass. Several small explosions were detected in days prior to the time of the photo, but very little ash is observed on the upper flanks.  Credit:  Matthew Davis/NOAA.

KILAUEA VOLCANO

19°25’16” N 155°17’13” W,
Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1,247 m)
Current Volcano Ale,rt Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary for past 24 hours:  The summit continued to inflate slowly while back-to-back DI events and sympathetic summit lava lake oscillations continued. Overnight, glow was visible within the Halema`uma`u gas plume and from sources within Pu`u `O`o crater. To the southeast, surface flows continued to be active on the pali and the coastal plain; there was no ocean entry. Seismic tremor levels were low; gas emissions were elevated: HVO

Kīlauea Volcano.  Active flows continued over a broad area on the coastal plain on April 5, 2012.  “This composite image combines a normal photograph and a thermal image to show the areas of active breakouts. Yellow areas are active flows while red areas are inactive, but still warm, flows. The flow front in the lower right was 1.6 km (1 mile) from the ocean,” HVO said.

Alert Level Increased for Iliamna Volcano, AK

Iliamna Activity – Color Code YELLOW Alert Level ADVISORY

Since January 2012 the earthquake rate at Iliamna Volcano has steadily increased and now exceeds normal background levels.

Iliamna Volcano. View from the SSE of Iliamna showing the prominent NE shoulder fumarole field near the summit. Note glacier disturbance (movement) on the east flank (upper Red Glacier).  Photo: Game McGimsey/AVO/USGS.

Pagan

Location: Mariana Islands  (18.13 ºN,  145.8 ºE)
Elevation: 570 m
Recent Eruption: 2006
Volcanic Alert Level: ADVISORY
Aviation Color Code: YELLOW

A gas and steam plume continued to extend downwind from the summit vent throughout the past week, but there were no further reports of unrest or activity at Pagan volcano, USGS said.

Other Volcanic Activity/ Unrest (Source: GVP)

New Activity/Unrest:

• Fuego, Guatemala
• Lewotobi, Flores Island (Indonesia)
• Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia
• Soufrière Hills, Montserrat
• Sundoro, Central Java (Indonesia)

Ongoing Activity:

• Etna, Sicily (Italy)
• Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia)
• Popocatépetl, México
• Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, Central Chile
• Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia)
• Tengger Caldera, Eastern Java (Indonesia)
• Tungurahua, Ecuador

Related Links

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Volcanic Emissions: Hawaii County Declared Disaster Area

Hawaii County declared agricultural disaster area amid continuing volcanic emissions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared Hawaii County in Hawaii as a primary natural disaster area due to losses caused by volcanic emissions that began on January 1, 2011, and continue.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 11

[February 11, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,495 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Hawaii.  USDA has declared Hawaii County a primary natural disaster area due to agricultural losses caused by volcanic emissions that began on January 1, 2011, and continue.

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY UPDATE
Friday, February 10, 2012 7:14 AM HST (Friday, February 10, 2012 17:14 UTC)

KILAUEA VOLCANO
19°25’16” N 155°17’13” W, Summit Elevation 4,091 ft (1,247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary for past 24 hours: Overall eruptive activity was low. DI deflation and dropping of the summit lava lake started this morning. Within Pu`u `O`o Crater, glow was visible from sources on the northeast and southeast edges of the floor.  Surface flows southeast of Pu`u `O`o remained active but there were no active surface flows on the pali, coastal plain, or entering the ocean. Seismic tremor levels were low and gas emissions were elevated. (Source: HVO)

This photograph shows the east rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō crater. A collapsed spatter cone revealed a swiftly flowing stream of lava heading northeast, into the tube system that supplies the active flow field. The active flows today were 6 km (3.7 miles) southeast of Pu`u `Ō `ō. Dated 8 February 2012.  (Source: HVO)

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active. Episodes 1–48b (1983–1986) are shown in dark gray; Episodes 48c–49 (1986–1992) are pale yellow; Episodes 50–53 and 55 (1992–2007) are tan; Episode 54 (1997) is yellow; Episode 58 (2007–2011) is pale orange; the episode 59 Kamoamoa eruption (March 2011) is at left in light reddish orange; and the episode 60 Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō overflows and flank breakout (Mar–August 2011) is orange. The currently active flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red—pink is the extent of the flow from September 21, 2011, to January 26, 2012, and bright red marks flow expansion from January 26 to February 8. The active lava tube is delineated by the yellow line within the active flow field. The contour interval on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is 5 m.  (Source: HVO)

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Kilauea SO2 emissions tops 10,000 tpd

Kilauea Volcano: Elevated Seismicity, Increased Effusion

Volcano Shows Increased Effusion Rates, Significantly Elevated Seismicity at summit and east rift zone

Lava pours from the fissure just after daybreak and cascades out of sight into a deep crack. HVO geologist near upper right for perspective. Source: HVO. Click image to enlarge.

HVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Warning

Volcano: Kilauea (CAVW #1302-01-)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WARNING
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Previous Aviation Color Code: RED

Issued: Monday, March 7, 2011, 6:13 PM HST (March 8, 2011, at 04:1UTC)
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2011/H2
Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min
Elevation: 4,091 ft (1,247 m)
Area: HI Hawaii and Pacific Ocean

Volcanic Activity Summary from HVO:  Eruption continues at Kīlauea volcano’s east rift zone  with intermittent activity at alternating locations along a 2.3 km long fissure between Pu’u ‘Ō’ō and Nāpau Crater. Effusion rates are high, with lava spatter reaching as high as  30m.

East rift zone gas emissions are significantly elevated above the 300 tonnes/day measured during the past several months and as recently as March 5, prior to the fissure eruption. Gas measurements on March 6 show an average SO2 emission rate of 10,000 tonnes/day, the highest measured on the east rift zone since an eruptive surge in July 2008 produced an emission rate of 7,000 tonnes/day. Summit SO2 emissions on March 6 were around 600 tonnes/day.

The TEB eruption system downrift (ENE) of Pu’u ‘Ō’ō appears to have shut down. During today’s overflight of the flow field, no active lava flows were observed on the pali or coastal plain.

Seismicity remains significantly elevated at both Kīlauea’s summit and east rift zone.

Deflation appears to be slowing at the summit and east rift zone.

At Kīlauea’s summit, the lava lake within the Halema’uma’u Crater vent is about 200 m deep, based on visual estimates. A rockfall within the vent at 2:23 p.m. HST today produced a vigorous dusty brown plume.

The fissure is located just west of Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater. Spatter was reaching heights of 40 m (130 ft). Source: HVO

Most of the day’s activity was focused at this vent, around which a low cone was forming. Pu`u `Ō `ō is visible in the background to the northeast. Source: HVO

Source: HVO.  Click image to enlarge.

Video showing lava pouring from the fissure into a seemingly bottomless crack

Video showing lava pouring from the fissure into a seemingly bottomless crack. Napau Crater in the background. Helicopter for scale. Source: HVO

Video showing spattering from the most persistent vent of the day just west of the base of Pu`u `Ō `ō near the northeastern end of the fissure system.

Lava spatters above the fissure just west of the base of Pu`u `Ō `ō

Related Links

• Heightened Activity at Kilauea Volcano
• Kilauea Volcano Continues to Discharge Lava
• Kilauea — Perhaps the World’s Most Active Volcano [Introduction]

• Huge amounts of lava continue to flow from world’s most active volcano in Hawaii, damaging an unoccupied home (Video)
• New Kilauea volcano land collapses explosively into ocean

• Emissions from Kilauea Volcano Brochure
• Lava Viewing Safety Card
• Department of Health Notification of Elevated SO2 and Particulate Levels

• Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
• More images
• Maps

• Halema`uma`u webcam
• Pu`u `Ō `ō webcam

HVO Links:

Kīlauea Update | Mauna Loa Status | Deformation | Maps | Webcams | Images | Movies

Hawaii Volcanoes  Webcams

Kīlauea Summit
Halema`uma`u from HVO	Halema`uma`u from Overlook
Kīlauea East Rift Zone
Pu`u `Ō `ō	Thanksgiving Eve Breakout From Pu`u `Ō `ō
Napau Crater
Mauna Loa Summit
Mokuawe`owe`o, Mauna Loa Summit Caldera

Heightened Activity at Kilauea Volcano

New Fissure at  Kilauea Spews Lava 25m into the Air

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY CURRENT STATUS REPORT
Sunday, March 6, 2011 6:34 PM HST (Monday, March 7, 2011 04:34 UTC)

KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW#1302-01-)
19.42°N 155.29°W, Summit Elevation 4,091 ft (1,247 m)
Volcano Alert Level: WARNING
Aviation Color Code: RED

HVO said: “A fissure that opened on Kilauea’s east rift zone after yesterday’s collapse of the Pu’u ‘O’o crater floor continues to erupt lava. Activity along the fissure was sporadic overnight and throughout today, with periods of quiet punctuated by episodes of lava spattering up to 25 m (80 ft) high.”

Fire Earth: A new fissure at Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii spatters lava

A close-up of spattering fissure. Credit: HVO. Click image to enlarge.

View looking at the NE end of the actively propagating fissure. Lava is just breaking the surface in foreground crack.  Credit: HVO. Click image to enlarge.

• To view a video of this event click here.

Ash cloud rising from Pu`u `Ō `ō as crater floor collapses [5 March 2011]

Ash cloud rising from Pu`u `Ō `ō as crater floor collapses due to magma withdrawal. Incandescent rubble can be seen crumbling and rolling down the scarp. The east rim of Pu`u `Ō `ō is in the foreground. Credit: HVO

Several video clips showing wall and rim collapses of Halema`uma`u

There was a series of vent wall and rim collapses on March 3, much like those than occurred in January and February. This video, compiled from the Webcam on the rim of Halema`uma`u above the vent, is one of the larger collapses, and shows the northwest rim of the vent falling into the lava lake. Credit: HVO. Click image to view the video clip.

• Video clip 2 HCAM March 3, 2011

Click image to view a clip captured by a video camera on the rim of Halema`uma`u to the southwest of the vent, showing a small chunk of the western rim of the vent collapsing into the lava lake.  Credit: HVO.

Archive image of lava from a previous eruption at Kilauea Volcano.  Credit: HVO

Source: [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/united_states Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection]

Map showing the extent of the “July 2007 eruption”, or Episode 58, flow field relative to surrounding communities. Reddish-brown is the active flow as mapped on January 13, 2011, while bright red shows the advancement of the flow from January 13-February 4. Light red represents older flows erupted during Episode 58 of the ongoing East Rift Zone eruption. Episode 58 started in July 2007. Flows erupted during 1983-2007 are shown in more muted colors and labeled with the years in which they were active. Click image to enlarge. Credit: HVO

Map showing the extent of the active flows. Reddish-brown is the flow as mapped on February 4, 2011, while bright red shows the advancement of the flow from January 13-February 4. Small ocean entries remains active at the front of both the western and eastern branches of the flow. Light red represents older flows erupted during Episode 58 of the ongoing East Rift Zone eruption. Episode 58 started in July 2007. Lava erupted while Kupaianaha was active from 1986-1992 (Episode 48) is shown in light yellow. Click image to enlarge. Credit: HVO

The Big Island, Hawaii

The Island of Hawaiʻi (the Big Island or Hawaiʻi Island) is a volcanic island With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,432 km²), it is the largest island in the United States and larger than all of the other Hawaiian Islands combined.

The Island of Hawaiʻi is built from five separate shield volcanoes that erupted somewhat sequentially, one overlapping the other. These are (from oldest to youngest):

• Kohala (dormant),
• Mauna Kea (dormant),
• Hualālai (dormant),
• Mauna Loa (active, partly within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park), and
• Kīlauea (very active; part of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park).

This simulated true-color image of the island of Hawai’i was derived from data gathered by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) on the Landsat 7 satellite between 1999 and 2001. Image: NASA/NOAA

The lava fountain on shield 3 (12-15 m high). USGS Archive image.

Related Links:

• Kilauea Volcano Continues to Discharge Lava
• Kilauea — Perhaps the World’s Most Active Volcano [Introduction]

• Huge amounts of lava continue to flow from world’s most active volcano in Hawaii, damaging an unoccupied home (Video)
• New Kilauea volcano land collapses explosively into ocean

• Emissions from Kilauea Volcano Brochure
• Lava Viewing Safety Card
• Department of Health Notification of Elevated SO2 and Particulate Levels

• Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
• More images
• Maps

• Halema`uma`u webcam
• Pu`u `Ō `ō webcam

Other Volcano News:

New Zealand’s Mount Ruapehu crater lake has heated up to 40ºC, reported to be the lake’s third-highest temperature rise in 10 years.

HVO Links:

Kīlauea Update | Mauna Loa Status | Deformation | Maps | Webcams | Images | Movies

Kīlauea Summit
Halema`uma`u from HVO	Halema`uma`u from Overlook
Kīlauea East Rift Zone
Pu`u `Ō `ō	Thanksgiving Eve Breakout From Pu`u `Ō `ō
Napau Crater
Mauna Loa Summit
Mokuawe`owe`o, Mauna Loa Summit Caldera

Hawaii’s Kilauea Billows 2,500 MT of SO2

Kilauea’s Halemaumau crater billows up to 2,500 metric tons of sulfur dioxide each day

The vog (volcanic fog) billowed out from Kilauea contains large quantities of sulfur dioxide which is killing crops in the Big Island.

With stagnant winds present, Halema`uma`u plume stands straight up, showing off the distant, but bright, full moon [Photo Date: November 13, 2008 ]. Photo Credit: M. Poland; Source: USGS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared Hawaii County a natural disaster area, which means the farmers there could apply for low interest loans from the federal government,  a report said.

However, it’s not known what the farmers are meant to do with the money, or how they would pay it back, since there’s no agreement with Kilauea concerning the  SO2 emissions!

In reality these loans should be “relocation grants” to allow the farmers leave the Big Island (in a hurry). As of December 2009, the only indication is that there would more SO2 billowing out of Kilauea in the coming weeks, month and possibly years. That situation could change, of course, but the farmers shouldn’t put too much hope in that.

“We can wash our trucks in the morning and in the afternoon you rub your hand across the top of the truck and it feels like sand paper,” said Phil Becker who, together with his wife, own  Aikane Plantation Coffee Company on the southern part of Big Island.

The Beckers previously grew and sold protea, however, vog has destroyed their plants.

“We’ve only got about three plants left after about 181 is what we started with and we’ve only got three that are trying to survive. It’s also impacted our cattle as far as the grass not recovering the way it usually does,” Phil Becker was reported as saying.

These days the Beckers are focusing their efforts on growing coffee … and even that is suffering. This year’s crop is about a third the size of a normal crop.

Not only So2 reacts with moisture in the air to give extremely corrosive sulfurous acid, which covers the leaves and stalks of plants, killing them, the deadly gas molecules also block the sun as they permeate the stratosphere and prevent needed sunshine from reaching the crops.

Kilauea Status Reports, Updates, and Information Releases

Aerial view of Pu`u `Ō `ō and vicinity

July 21 Eruption Near-view Map: November 25, 2009

Map showing the July 21, 2007 eruption flow field. The Thanksgiving Eve Breakout (TEB) flow is currently active and is that portion of the July 21, 2007 eruption flow field that extends south from the TEB vent to the ocean. Light red is the area of the flow as of November 7, 2009, while the bright red shows the flow field expansion that occurred between November 7 and November 25. Source of Image and Caption: HVO

HVO DAILY UPDATE Tuesday, December 1, 2009 7:47 AM HST (Tuesday, December 1, 2009 17:47 UTC)

KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-01-)
Coordinates: 19°25’16” N 155°17’13” W
Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH

Activity Summary for past 24 hours: Kilauea continued to erupt from two vents. At the summit, a lava pond was visible for several hours before draining and crusting over. Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the Halema`uma`u and east rift zone vents remain elevated. From the east rift zone vent, lava flows through tubes to the coast and is entering the ocean at several locations west of Kalapana.

Related Links:

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• Nature’s ‘Deselection’ Engine Revving Up!
• Murphy’s law has no time vector!
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• State of the World
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• The Death of Homo Sapiens Sapiens (Part 1)

• Volcanic Explosions Could Split More Than Africa
• Arabia Shakes
• Messages From Earth’s Powerhouse
• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

• Volcanoes affect life on earth
• Volcanoes Killed Off Dinosaurs
• Rhyolitic volcanoes pack a much bigger punch

Other Related Links:

• U.S. Volcano Status Map
• Elevated Activity Page
• U.S. Volcano Webcams

Kilauea crater summit collapses

Kilauea volcano’s Halemaumau crater summit collapses

HVO Geologists last week reported  a collapse of the vent wall had  blocked the Halemaumau crater vent with a large amount of volcanic materials.

The first collapse produced a seismic event equal to a magnitude-2.4 earthquake, shaking the ground at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park’s Thomas A. Jaggar Museum overlook, adjacent to HVO. The collapse also produced what geologists described as “a loud booming sound heard across the (Kilauea) caldera area.” hawaiimagazine .

Later the same day, a segment of the Halemaumau crater floor collapsed, enlarging the vent rim and blocking the glow from the Halemaumau.

Kilauea has been ejecting often large plumes of ash, smoke, steam and other gasses from the vent since March 2008 .

Halemaumau crater vent ash cloud immediately after  first collapse (Source: USGS)

A segment of Halemaumau crater floor collapses into vent just under an hour after initial collapse (Source: USGS)

Evening Glow from Halemaumau crater vent photographed just hours before the collapse (Source: USGS)

Free-hand drawing shows extent of crater floor collapse  (Source:  United States Geological Survey  USGS)

Related Links

Kilauea Volcano Continues to Discharge Lava

VolcanoWatch Weekly [2 July 2009]

• U.S. Volcano Status Map
• Elevated Activity Page
• U.S. Volcano Webcams

• Volcanoes [FEWW Links]
• Earthquakes