Lava Update | May 2, 2018

Earth shaking changes (no pun intended) occurring on Kilauea, as the floor of Pu‘u ‘O‘o’s crater collapsed on Monday afternoon, sucking all the magma within back into…? Yup, don’t know where it went, but from the incredible flurry of seismicity in lower Puna, it appears that the magma is traveling down the east rift zone. HVO scientists say that an eruption is possible, although not imminent. Only time will tell.

On Tuesday, May 1st, HVO reported a partial collapse of Pu‘u ‘O‘o’s floor, so Mick Kalber and I scheduled an overflight to check it out. Low cloud cover obscured the vent for most of the day, but things improved enough to warrant an attempt. What we saw on the upper flow field was eerily reminiscent of what one would imagine Mars’ landscape to be, for as far as our eyes could see, the lava fields were coated with a thin layer of red ash. After repeated attempts to access the vent, pilot Robert Mitchell, using his aviatory prowess, was able to find an opening to sneak us up there for just long enough to absorb the most mind-blowing scene… what was an almost completely filled crater on Saturday, was now an ominous, bottomless pit, belching dark clouds of ash and gas.  😮 WOW. Another overflight was in order!!

Overnight reports of increased seismicity trending toward Kapoho, necessitated a pass over the eastern tip of the island before heading out to the eruption zone on Wednesday morning, but no surface activity was visible. As we approached Pu‘u ‘O‘o, the skies opened up, and visibility was so much better than the day before. Again, that Martian-esque landscape was captivating… and, in the center of it, a reddish plume from the collapsed vent, rising through the clouds. A magnificent sunrise, spectacular lighting, and Sean Regehr‘s impeccable piloting skills, gave us an opportunity to peer into the vast emptiness of what was once a magma chamber filled to capacity. BOOM. Overwhelmingly impressive display of nature’s unpredictable power and dynamicity.

See the photos from Tuesday and Wednesday’s overflights below.

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: A beautiful sunrise illuminated the rising gas and ash plume from Pu‘u ‘O‘o. The line of steam in the lower left corner is rising from a 1/2 mile long fissure created when the vent’s floor collapsed on Monday afternoon.

May 1, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: Through a thick cloud cover, a billowing plume of red ash rises from Pu‘u ‘O‘o, as its walls continue to collapse.

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: A view of Pu‘u ‘O‘o, looking south, showing the 1/2 mile long fissure of steam extending out to the south west, which was created during the collapse of the crater’s floor.

May 1, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: A high shot of the steam fissure created when the floor of Pu‘u ‘O‘o collapsed. It appears that a small quantity of lava erupted from the crack at some point.

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: A skylight, probably created when the floor of Pu‘u ‘O‘o collapsed, glows intensely from the heat of the fiery chamber.

May 1, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: The eastern flank of Pu‘u ‘O‘o is covered by a thin layer of red ash from the collapse of its floor.

May 1, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: An eerie scene of a cloud of red ash rising from Pu‘u ‘O‘o crater as portions of its walls continue to collapse.

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: What was once a chamber filled to capacity with magma, is now an empty pit hundreds of feet deep. The notch on the right, covered with white gas, is where the west pit and its lava lake sat. Now, there’s no visible molten lava at all… Mind-blowing to comprehend that vast volume going somewhere in such a short period of time!

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: Light winds allowed the plume to approximately 4000 feet before being blown to the northwest.

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: An opening in the gas plume gave us a fleeting peek into the depths of Pu‘u ‘O‘o crater… 500 feet?

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: An overhead view of the 1/2 mile long fissure of steam extending southwestward from Pu‘u ‘O‘o’s western rim, where the lava pond once sat.

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: This view is very interesting, as the black rock on the opposing wall looks like lava from the perched pond, probably cooling against the face of the crater wall as everything flushed out.

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: A low elevation view of the steam fissure extending to the southwest, with a gorgeous sunrise as the backdrop.

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: The rising gas plume billows into the sky, blossoming as it hits the higher humidity cloud layer above.

May 2, 2018, 6:00 am – Pu‘u ‘O‘o and Kilauea’s east rift zone overflight: A little gap in the rising gas plume allowed a peek at the opposing cliff face and its textures. This being a telephoto shot, is just a fraction of its entire height… or depth.