Lava Flow from Kilauea Advancing AGAIN on Big Island Communities

VOLCANIC HAZARDS
KILAUEA JUNE 27TH LAVA FLOW
STATE OF EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION
MASS EVACUATIONS
LOSS OF HABITAT
CROP DESTRUCTION
SCENARIOS 989, 900, 797, 787, 707, 444, 070, 047, 017, 07, 02
.

Kilauea Lava Flow:  June 27th lava flow continues to advance NE at 120 m/day

The lava flow out of the continuously erupting Kilauea Volcano is slowly advancing downslope toward the town of Pāhoa (population: ~1,000) on the Big Island.

About 4,500 people could be affected by the lava flow in the coming days.

Tuesday Oct0ber 7, 2014 (UTC). Civil Defense Message: “This morning’s assessment shows that the flow front continues to be active and has advanced approximately 150 yards since yesterday.  The narrow flow front is moving along the tree line and the burning activity is producing a significant amount of smoke.  There is no brush fire threat at this time and the burning is limited to the edges of the flow only.  Due to a light southwest wind this morning the vog and smoke conditions were moderate to heavy across lower Puna to Hilo.”

[Note: Vog, a type of air pollution, is formed when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano react with oxygen and air moisture in the sunlight.]

Flow front continues advancing northeast, triggers brush fire. The June 27th lava flow remains active, and the flow front continues to advance towards the northeast along the forest boundary. Today, the flow front consisted of a narrow lobe moving through thick forest. The flow front was 1.7 km (1.1 miles) upslope of Apaʻa St., and 2.7 km (1.7 miles) from Pāhoa Village Road. The lava flow also triggered a brush fire that was active north of the flow front Monday afternoon local time [HAST= UTC -10 hrs.]

Kilauea Status Reports

Issued: Monday, October 6, 2014, 6:42 PM HST (Tuesday, 2014/10/07/04:42UTC)
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Notice Number: 2014/H13
Location: N 19 deg 25 min, W 155 deg 17 min
Elevation: 4091 ft (1,247 m)
Area: HI Hawaii and Pacific Ocean
Current Volcano Alert Level: WARNING
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Volcanic Activity Summary: The June 27th flow remains active, with a narrow flow about 115 m (230 ft) wide moving downslope about 120 m/day (390 ft/day) since October 3.

At the average rate of advancement of 120 m/day, the lava could reach Apa`a St. in about 16 days. The advance rate of the June 27th flow has varied significantly during the past month, meaning this projection is subject to change. HVO’s next overflight is scheduled for Wednesday, October 8.

Recent Observations by HVO: The lava flow has continued to advance northeast since October 3 at about 120 m/day (390 ft/day). The leading edge is now about 1.7 km (1.1 mi) straight-line distance from Apa`a St.

Hazard Analysis by HVO: The lava flow from the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent is active, and lava is being supplied to the flow front, which is slowly advancing downslope toward Pāhoa town, which is located  in the Puna District of the County of Hawai`i.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Observations: There was little net change in ground tilt at Pu’u O’o over the past day. Glow was visible overnight above several outgassing openings in the crater floor. The most recent sulfur-dioxide emission-rate measurement for the East Rift Zone was 550 tonnes per day (from all sources) on September 25, 2014. Seismic tremor is low and constant.

Summit Observations: Deflationary tilt at Kīlauea’s summit continues this morning along with a decrease in the lava lake level at the summit vent. There was no major change in seismicity on Kilauea over the past day; seismic tremor at the summit remained low and varied with changes in spattering on the surface of the lava lake. GPS receivers spanning the summit caldera recorded about 5 cm (2 in) of extension between early May and early July. Since then, little significant extension or contraction has occurred. During the week ending on September 30, 2014, the elevated summit sulfur-dioxide emission rate was measured at 3,600–5,200 tonnes/day (see caveat below), and a small amount of particulate material was carried aloft by the plume.

Remarks [Source: HVO] : The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent in the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano began erupting on January 3, 1983, and has continued erupting for more than 31 years, with the majority of lava flows advancing to the south. Over the past two years, lava flows have issued from the vent toward the northeast. The June 27th flow is the most recent of these flows and the first to threaten a residential area since 2010-2011. On June 27, 2014, new vents opened on the northeast flank of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone and fed a narrow lava flow to the east-northeast. On August 18, the flow entered a ground crack, traveled underground for several days, then resurfaced to form a small lava pad. This sequence was repeated three more times over the following days with lava entering and filling other cracks before reappearing at the surface, in two of the cases farther downslope. Lava emerged from the last crack on September 6, forming a surface flow that initially moved to the north, then to the northeast, at a rate of 400 m/day (1,300 ft/day). The flow slowed thereafter and, between September 12 and 19, the rate of advancement varied, averaging 225 m/day (740 ft/day). The flow front stalled by September 22, but new breakouts behind the flow front began to push forward, overtaking the stalled front on September 29 and advancing 120 m/day (390 ft) between October 3 and 6. [Source: HVO]

 Related Links

• Kilauea Lava Flow Could Affect Thousands on Hawaiʻi Island  September 5, 2014

Kilauea Lava Flow Could Affect Thousands on Hawaiʻi Island

VOLCANIC HAZARDS
STATE OF EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION
MASS EVACUATIONS
LOSS OF HABITAT
CROP DESTRUCTION
SCENARIOS 787, 444, 070, 047, 017, 07, 02
.

Lava from Kilauea Volcano advancing 250 meters per day

Hawai‘i County Mayor has signed a state of emergency proclamation due to  the advancing lava flow in the Wao Kele O Puna area after the flow extended to less than 1.5km from the edge of the Ka‘ohe Homesteads subdivision, said the mayor’s office.

It’s believed that at least 8,211 people (based on 2010 Census) residing in the subdivision of Hawaiian Beaches are directly threatened by the lava flow. However, the number is unrepresentative of the present population since the District of Puna is the fastest growing population in the State, said the Mayor’s Proclamation.

“We are taking this step to ensure our residents have time to prepare their families, their pets, and their livestock for a safe and orderly evacuation from Ka‘ohe in the event the flow continues to advance,” said Mayor Kenoi.

No evacuation orders have yet been issued, said Hawaii County Civil Defense; however, the risk of lava flow affecting the  subdivision is increasing daily.

Kilauea Volcano Warning Issued by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)

Thursday, September 4, 2014, 10:45 AM HST (2014-09-04 @ 20:45UTC)

Volcanic Activity Summary: On June 27, 2014, new vents opened on the northeast flank of the Pu‘u ‘O‘o cone that fed a narrow lava flow to the east-northeast. On August 18, the flow entered a ground crack, traveled underground for several days, then resurfaced to form a small lava pad. The sequence was repeated twice more over the following days with lava entering other cracks and reappearing farther downslope. In this way, the flow had advanced approximately 13.2 km (8.2 miles) from the vent, or to within 1.3 km (0.8 miles) of the eastern boundary of the Wao Kele o Puna Forest Reserve, by the afternoon of September 3. Overnight, lava did not appear to advance farther east within the crack system, but surface flows advanced about 100 m to the northeast. At the average rate of advancement of 250 m/day (820 ft/day) since July 10, we project that lava could reach the Kaohe Homesteads boundary within 5-7 days should lava resume advancing within the crack system.

Kaohe Homesteads is located between the Wao Kele o Puna Forest Reserve and the town of Pāhoa in the Puna District of the County of Hawai`i.

Current Volcano Alert Level: WARNING
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Recent Observations:
[Volcanic cloud height] SO2, low ash emissions continue from Kīlauea caldera, TFR in place.
[Other volcanic cloud information] none
[Lava flow/dome] June 27th Lava Flow continues to advance.

Hazard Analysis:
[Lava flow/dome] Lava Flow from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent could advance to Kaohe Homesteads within a week.

Remarks: The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent in the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano began erupting on January 3, 1983, and has continued erupting for more than 31 years, with the majority of lava flows advancing to the south. Over the past two years, lava flows have issued from the vent toward the northeast. The June 27th flow is the most recent of these flows and the first to threaten a residential area since 2010-2011.

June 27th lava flow front reemerges from ground crack, continues advancing eastward (HVO)

The June 27th lava flow remains active, with lava at the flow front issuing from a ground crack and advancing through thick forest, creating dense plumes of smoke. The farthest lava this afternoon was 13.2 km (8.2 miles) from the vent on Puʻu ʻŌʻō, and 1.3 km (0.8 miles) from the eastern boundary of the Wao Kele o Puna forest reserve. This forest reserve boundary is at the western boundary of Kaohe Homesteads subdivision, a portion of which is visible at the bottom of the photograph. (Source: HVO)

The surface flows at the front of the June 27th lava flow are fed by lava that is supplied through a lava tube that originates at the vent on Puʻu ʻŌʻō. This thermal image shows the lava tube close to Puʻu ʻŌʻō. Although the lava is several meters (yards) beneath the surface, it heats the surface sufficiently to be easily detected with thermal cameras. 

Llaima Volcano Erupts Explosively

Chile’s Llaima volcano, one of the largest and most active volcanoes in South America erupts again!

Llaima volcano erupted again spewing lava and ash in southern Chile and prompting evacuations and landslide hazard warnings.

Llaima Volcano erupts. Reuters photo dated April 5, 2009. Image may be subject to copyright.

Llaima Volcano erupts. Reuters photo dated April 5, 2009. Image may be subject to copyright.

The 3,125-meter-high Llaima volcano spewed smoke and ash about 600 meters into the air with lava flowing about 1,000 meters down the volcano.

The eruption melted the snow around the crater, raising the possibility of flooding and mudslide and prompting the officials to evacuate the nearby villages.

The risk of mud avalanches is high, the officials said, which may cause the Calbuco River to rise.

Llaima volcano, whose last significant eruption occurred in July 2008, is located about 600 kilometers south of the Chilean capital, Santiago.

Llaima Volcano erupts. Source: Periodistadigital. Image may be subject to copyright.

Llaima Volcano, Chile. [Dated 6 December 2004 ?] This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0. Credit: Jespinos

Excerpts from Reuters report:

It said an ash-swollen river near the volcano had swept away a pedestrian bridge, but there was no other damage. Bright red bursts of lava were visible in the night sky as Llaima erupted.

The office said on its website that there were “permanent explosions that reach 600 metres (650 yards) above the crater. Falling ash is visible and … a flow of lava of more than 1,000 metres (1,100 yards) has been observed.”

Chile’s chain of some 2,000 volcanoes is the world’s second-largest after Indonesia. Some 50 to 60 are on record as having erupted, and 500 are potentially active.

Related Links:

• Llaima Volcano Erupts Again! (July 2, 2008) – includes location map

Two Volcanoes Erupt in Japan

Japan’s Asama volcano and Mount Sakurajima erupted early Monday, Asama spewing hot rocks and raining ash as far away as Tokyo.

Residents in population centers near Mount Asama about 150 kilometers (95 miles) northwest of Tokyo were advised to wear masks as Asama ejected fumes, hot rocks and ash about 1:51 am local time, spewing lava shortly afterward.

White smoke rises from Mount Asama in Tsumagoi, about 140 km (87 miles) northwest of Tokyo, Feb. 2, 2009. The volcano in central Japan erupted on Monday, spewing hot rocks and ash, but there was no major damage in the sparsely populated vicinity, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo). Image may be subject to copyright.

The 2,568-meter (8,425-foot) volcano ejected a plume of fumes and ash about 2km into the air, covering the towns at the foot of Mt Asama with white volcanic ash.  The volcanic ash also reached Tokyo, traveling as far as Yokohama city southeast of Japan’s capital.

Mount Asama has been active for several thousand years, and frequently ejects small amounts of ash from its crater. It last erupted in August 2008, however, its last major eruption occurred on September 1, 2004, spewing hot rock and sprinkling ash as far as 180 km away, and causing damage to crops.  In 1783 it erupted violently causing extensive damage to property and killing as many as 2,000 people.

Japan’s meteorological agency also reported that Mount Sakurajima, a 1,117-metre (3,686-foot) volcano, had erupted eight times between Sunday evening and early Monday Morning.

Home to some 108 active volcanoes, Japan sits atop the Eurasian, Pacific, Philippine and North American tectonic plates whose movements cause numerous earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The country experiences about 20 percent of the world’s major earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

Asama, Honshu’s most active volcano, overlooks the resort town of Karuizawa, 140 km NW of Tokyo. The volcano is located at the junction of the Izu-Marianas and NE Japan volcanic arcs. The modern cone of Maekake-yama forms the summit of the volcano and is situated east of the horseshoe-shaped remnant of an older andesitic volcano, Kurofu-yama, which was destroyed by a late-Pleistocene landslide about 20,000 years before present (BP). Growth of a dacitic shield volcano was accompanied by pumiceous pyroclastic flows, the largest of which occurred about 14,000-11,000 years BP, and by growth of the Ko-Asama-yama lava dome on the east flank. Maekake-yama, capped by the Kama-yama pyroclastic cone that forms the present summit of the volcano, is probably only a few thousand years old and has an historical record dating back at least to the 11th century AD. Maekake-yama has had several major plinian eruptions, the last two of which occurred in 1108 (Asama’s largest Holocene eruption) and 1783 AD. Caption: Global Volcanism program. Photo by Richard Fiske, 1961 (Smithsonian Institution).

Sakura-jima, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes, is a post-caldera cone of the Aira caldera at the northern half of Kagoshima Bay. Eruption of the voluminous Ito pyroclastic flow accompanied formation of the 17 x 23 km wide Aira caldera about 22,000 years ago. The smaller Wakamiko caldera was formed during the early Holocene in the NE corner of the Aira caldera, along with several post-caldera cones. The construction of Sakura-jima began about 13,000 years ago on the southern rim of Aira caldera and built an island that was finally joined to the Osumi Peninsula during the major explosive and effusive eruption of 1914. Activity at the Kita-dake summit cone ended about 4850 years ago, after which eruptions took place at Minami-dake. Frequent historical eruptions, recorded since the 8th century, have deposited ash on Kagoshima, one of Kyushu’s largest cities, located across Kagoshima Bay only 8 km from the summit. The largest historical eruption took place during 1471-76. Caption: GVP

Copyrighted photo by Shun Nakano (Japanese Quaternary Volcanoes database, RIODB, http://riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/strata/VOL_JP/EN/index.htm and Geol Surv Japan, AIST, http://www.gsj.jp/).

Related Links:

• Volcanoes [Links page]
• Earthquake Forecast 2009 : Japan
• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun

Mount Soputan volcano erupts again!

Lava flowed about 1 km from Indonesia’s Mount Soputan crater

Mount Soputan volcano, one of Sulawesi island’s most active volcanoes, erupted again Monday, spewing flames, fiery spark and clouds of hot smoke up to a 1,000 meters into the air.

Lava flowed about 1 km from the crater, according to Indonesia’s volcanology center.”There’s no order to evacuate but people are asked to stay outside a radius of four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the volcano’s summit because it could spew lava and heat clouds down its slopes,” a volcanologist said.

Indonesia, which sits on the so called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” is home to 150 listed volcanoes. [See below for more information on Pacific Ring of Fir. ]

Soputan volcano spews thick smoke and heat clouds in Minahasa. Source: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

Description

Country: Indonesia
Region Name: Sulawesi (Indonesia)
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Last Known Eruption: 2008
Summit Elevation: 1784 m     (5,853 feet)
Latitude:     1.108°N     1°6’30″N
Longitude: 124.73°E     124°44’0″E

Soputan on a restful day!

The small Soputan stratovolcano, seen here from the west, was constructed on the southern rim of the Quaternary Tondano caldera in northern Sulawesi Island. The youthful, largely unvegetated Soputan volcano is one of Sulawesi’s most active volcanoes. During historical time the locus of eruptions has included both the summit crater and Aeseput, a prominent NE flank vent that formed in 1906 and was the source of intermittent major lava flows until 1924. Photo by Agus Solihin (Volcanological Survey of Indonesia). Image and caption: GVP.

Pacific Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent siesmic activity and volcanic eruptions caused by plate tectonic movements. Encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean, which contains oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts, the 40,000 km Ring of Fire is home to 452 volcanoes. About ninety percent of the world’s earthquakes including 80% of the world’s major earthquakes occur along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin form the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The trenches are shown in blue-green. The volcanic island arcs, although not labeled, are parallel to, and always landward of, the trenches. For example, the island arc associated with the Aleutian Trench is represented by the long chain of volcanoes that make up the Aleutian Islands.

Source: http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/fire.html

Lava Signs at Okmok Volcano

Okmok Activity – Color Code RED : Alert Level WARNING

Okmok Volcano Activity Notifications
by AVO

The eruption of Okmok Volcano continued throughout this week with persistent ash emissions rising from 15,000 to 25,000 feet. From July 19 to July 20 the color code was increased to red in response to a more vigorous eruptive episode which produced ash to 30,000 feet. Photographs and an overflight by Alaska Volcano Observatory staff on July 20 and 21 confirmed the existence of multiple vigorous vents on the caldera floor.

Photo of the Okmok eruption, July 24, 2008, taken from Ft Glenn on the east flank of Okmok Caldera. Picture Date: July 24, 2008. credit : Lonnie Kennedy – Source: AVO

Seismicity was characterized by intermittent bursts of volcanic tremor early in the week. This changed to continuous mid-level volcanic tremor on July 23, which persists to the current time. Amplitude of tremor has been generally constant since July 21.

Although there has been little change in the eruption in the past several days, stronger explosive activity could resume at any time with little or no warning.

AVO Weekly Update – 2008-07-25 12:18:38

The eruption of Okmok Volcano continued throughout this week with persistent ash emissions rising from 15,000 to 25,000 feet. From July 19 to July 20 the color code was increased to red in response to a more vigorous eruptive episode which produced ash to 30,000 feet. Photographs and an overflight by Alaska Volcano Observatory staff on July 20 and 21 confirmed the existence of multiple vigorous vents on the caldera floor.

Seismicity was characterized by intermittent bursts of volcanic tremor early in the week. This changed to continuous mid-level volcanic tremor on July 23, which persists to the current time. Amplitude of tremor has been generally constant since July 21.

Although there has been little change in the eruption in the past several days, stronger explosive activity could resume at any time with little or no warning.

Cleveland Activity – Color Code ORANGE : Alert Level WATCH

Cleveland Volcano Activity Notifications

2008-07-25 12:18:38 – Weekly Update by AVO
Based on reports from fishing boats Cleveland Volcano began erupting at approximately 12:00 AKDT (20:00 UTC) on July 21, 2008. This eruptive episode is more intense than that observed over the past several years. Pilot reports and satellite data have documented a persistent low level ash emission from 10,000 to 20,000 feet throughout the week when the volcano was visible through clouds. A large thermal anomaly suggests the presence of an ongoing active lava flow.

Related Links:

• Video by AVO/USGS geologist Tina Neal during an overflight of the eruption of Okmok Volcano and distant ash plume from Cleveland Volcano. July 21, 2008.
• Okmok Eruption, Cleveland Volcano [Update #2]
• Explosive Eruption at Okmok Volcano [Update #1]
• Volcanoes