Hawaii's Kilauea volcano eruption

[OmCheeto]

Was watching the live feed this morning when I was given some more data regarding "broken leg guy" and where the camera is in relation to the eruption:
[caveat: this information is from non-scientists, as far as I can tell]

paraphrased; "broken leg guy's house was about 100 meters away from the lava fountains."​

I researched some maths yesterday, and discovered that the maximum lateral distance of projectiles is twice the height of vertical projectiles.
This kind of implies that the lava fountain was only 50 meters high.

hmmm...

My takeaway: Learn some maths, and stay away from lava fountains.

 

[Janus]

Update from the island of Hawaii. Since we've arrived, we've been dealing with a bit of vog. Visibility has been low. Of course they are not letting tourists into the active area (and I don't believe my PF ex-mentor status would pass muster as press credentials. ) Yesterday we drove down to the south as far as Punaluu black sand beach. (about 30 miles SSW of the Kilauea crater. ) On the way back we hit some rain, but not the normal type. It was leaving a gray residue behind. Obviously, there was some volcanic ash mixed in. Here's a photo of some of the ash left on the car. (The whitish-gray stuff. The. Green is just the reflection of a tree).

 

[Janus]

Today we drove north and were able to escape the vog. While there we saw what looked like a tall cloud to the south. It grew taller as we watched. It was in the direction of the volcano , and I understand that there was another eruption today, so this might have been associated with it. I haven't heard that the eruption involved a steam plume, but maybe it produced enough heat to create a convection cloud. We took some pictures , but I'll have wait until we get home to post them. (Slow Internet connection with phone, I was only able to post the ash picture by severely cropping it)
P.S. after posting, I noticed that the picture I tried to upload shows up as an attachment even though I got a failed upload message. Does anyone else see this or do I see it just because the image is stored on my phone?

 

[OmCheeto]

...
Does anyone else see this or do I see it just because the image is stored on my phone?

I see it!

 

[Janus]

I see it!

Good. Assuming this is caused by Kilauea, it's a bit ironic that I had to go away [\i] from the volcano to see volcanic related activity.

 

[OmCheeto]

Good. Assuming this is caused by Kilauea, it's a bit ironic that I had to go away [\i] from the volcano to see volcanic related activity.

It's hard to tell what caused that particular plume. There are lots of them!

1. Lava entering the ocean
2. Rift vents
3. Kilauea caldera
4. Puʻu ʻŌʻō [? quite cloudy. can't tell]

Might be a merger of all of them. [refs: USGS webcam still photos & https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/multimedia_chronology.html]

ps. If it's any consolation, the USGS is also complaining about the "WiFi service".

Kīlauea Eruption FAQs: General Questions
USGS Volcanoes·Monday, 21 May 2018

Why is there no streaming video of the eruption?

Hawai’i does not have the same internet capabilities as the mainland. Bandwidth is often limited, and HVO must give preference to monitoring instruments before cameras.​

Their FAQ is a great source of information, IMHO.
They even give the URL for the civilian live feed: "...local reporting for streaming videos (https://www.facebook.com/civilbeat)."

And unlike most Facebook comment sections, this one is NOT filled with IDIOT nose-picking booger-eaters.

Mike Kingston; "USGS Volcanoes, What about the presence of andesite in fissure 17 lava, as confirmed by Hamilton Analytical Lab and discussed in the West Hawaii Today article? This is highly unusual for Hawaii lava and, from everything I've read, is not consistent with the idea that this component of the lava is coming from the two vents mentioned or from the 1955 magma. Could you share with us 1) what percent of the fissure 17 sample was andesite and 2) has that percentage changed in this short period of time? (As alternative to that question, what was the silica content percentage, and did that change over time?) Also, what is the source of the andesite lava? Does this lava ultimately come from a different depth or layer of the earth? Aloha"

USGS Volcanoes; "Mike Kingston, Good catch on the andesite! This is unusual, and is clearly not summit/Pu`u `O`o magma nor 1955 magma. Instead, it is probably something much older -- perhaps magma that intruded in 1924 but never erupted, or magma left over from 1840, or even before? The older, more silica-rich magma might also explain why Fissure 17 has behaved a bit differently than the other fissures, with higher spattering and more discrete events. At this point, we only have some preliminary chemical analyses. But we know from past experience that the rift zone is full of unerupted pods of magma from past intrusions of a variety of different ages. Apparently, Fissure 17 is sampling one of these pods that is different from 1955. When this is all over, one of the things we hope to have learned is more about just how much magma, and how many different vintages, is stored within the rift zone."​

Quite fascinating.
Again, just MHO.

 

[OmCheeto]

Anyone know what: Azimuth/Bearing: 081° N81E
means?

It's from an image by those Vulcanologists at the USGS.

I am not a navigator.

Trying to determine if I have the math skills to determine the height of those lava plumes, based on the above, the coordinates, and this image:

 

[Tom.G]

Anyone know what: Azimuth/Bearing: 081° N81E
means?

That's the direction the camera was aimed. 0°=North, 90°=East, so the camera was aimed 9°N of E.

 

[davenn]

Kīlauea Eruption FAQs: General Questions
USGS Volcanoes·Monday, 21 May 2018

Why is there no streaming video of the eruption?
Hawai’i does not have the same internet capabilities as the mainland. Bandwidth is often limited, and HVO must give preference to monitoring instruments before cameras.

fortunately people other than the USGS are live streaming

that guy I posted youtube links to a few days ago has been live streaming 24/7 for at least 2 weeks now :)

 

[davenn]

Good. Assuming this is caused by Kilauea, it's a bit ironic that I had to go away [\i] from the volcano to see volcanic related activity.

great to hear from you Janus ... hope you are having fun

well not directly caused by Kilauea

Kilauea, Puʻu ʻŌʻō and the currently active fissures are all fed from the same magma chamberDave

 

[Janus]

great to hear from you Janus ... hope you are having fun

Dave

Well are. Have seen some great scenery, saw green sea turtles basking on beaches of two islands, and even caught sight of a dolphin jumping out of the water during breakfast the other day. Am spending the afternoon of our last night at hotel watching the waves crash against the rocks, before heading for dinner. Catch a red-eye tomorrow night for home.

 

[davenn]

The lava fountain from the fissure 20 area is still pounding out tons of lava
a few screen captures I have done from the live stream today

first one around 1pm 23 May 2018 Hawai'i time
second one close to midnite 23 May 2018 Hawai'i time

courtesy of Honolulu Civil Beat live feed
Dave

 

[davenn]

The fountaining went through a quieter session early today

Strangely, I have noted on a number of days now and I cannot explain it. Maybe just coincidence with the changes of activity and timing.
I have noted that activity is often quieter during the day than the night.Dave

 

[OmCheeto]

...

Strangely, I have noted on a number of days now and I cannot explain it. Maybe just coincidence with the changes of activity and timing.
I have noted that activity is often quieter during the day than the night.Dave

It might be the change in contrast, and camera aperture setting. Hard to tell without being there.

Friday, May 18, 2018 [ref video]

Maybe they should add a thermal imaging camera.

One reason I won't try and quantify it is because I just scrolled through the video, and the plume changes shape and direction over time.

2:18 Fan to the right. 3:30 shoot straight up. 4:32 fan to the left.
Using the blue highlighted tree in the foreground as reference.
Same video.

 

[nsaspook]

 

[nsaspook]

Crazy dangerous.

 

[BillTre]

Here is a zoomable Google map of the lava areas, with several interesting overlays.
I have spent a lot of time in the Kapoho tide pools (to the east of the lava) which are great. Have friends with a house very close to there.

Several of the videos I have seen here have a lot of chirpy sounds in the background. They are from invasive tree frogs. I like tree frogs and don't mind the sounds, but a lot of people around there are annoyed by them because they increase the ambient sound levels.

 

[nsaspook]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44294418

The US Geological Survey has responded to a social media query on whether it is safe to roast marshmallows over a volcanic vent.

The answer is no.

It's good to see that things are returning back to normal.

 

[OmCheeto]

...
Strangely, I have noted on a number of days now and I cannot explain it. Maybe just coincidence with the changes of activity and timing.
I have noted that activity is often quieter during the day than the night.Dave

I just watched a live feed with geologist Philip Ong, and the cameraman mentioned the same thing, that the activity is quieter during the day.
Phillip didn't mention anything that I mentioned (being a possible optical illusion), so maybe things are more active at night.

 

[BillTre]

Here is a local news conference (short text and video) from Hawaii earlier today.
Discusses recent news, changes, and some hypotheses about what might be driving the eruption.
Good Pictures/videos.

 

[nsaspook]

Looks like the crater is blocked.

 

[NTL2009]

Question: When we see 'geysers' of lava bubbling up into the air, is that a continuous supply of 'fresh' lava from below, or is much of that lava dropping down and being thrown up again? I'm guessing it is mostly (90% ?, 99% ?, ?) 'recycled' lava, or a mountain/river would build up quickly, but it's hard for me to tell from these videos.

 

[nsaspook]

Question: When we see 'geysers' of lava bubbling up into the air, is that a continuous supply of 'fresh' lava from below, or is much of that lava dropping down and being thrown up again? I'm guessing it is mostly (90% ?, 99% ?, ?) 'recycled' lava, or a mountain/river would build up quickly, but it's hard for me to tell from these videos.

From what I can tell it's mainly fresh lava now. Very liquid, hot and full of gasses that cause it to bubble up in the air. Once that falls down it travels down the lava river rather quickly now as the areas near the supply have buildup high banks that increase the slope down around the fountains.



This Google map shows the current path of the lava is expected to cross right through the beach side housing.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?urp=https://www.facebook.com/&mid=1CvBhH9wEeztBrqYbsGDi4YjU1k1QH5AL&ll=19.50403815516964,-154.8307863302307&z=16

 

[nsaspook]

 

[nsaspook]

 

[BillTre]

Well, there goes the Kapoho tide pools and all the houses in that area.

I wondering how much volume of lava this eruption has put out.

 

[davenn]

Well, there goes the Kapoho tide pools and all the houses in that area.
I wondering how much volume of lava this eruption has put out.

we need a "sad" button as well. Clicking the "like" button just doesn't seem right

My heart goes out to all the people that have lost their homes and businesses over the last 5 weeks
'Dave

 

[dlgoff]

we need a "sad" button as well. Clicking the "like" button just doesn't seem right

It's good that @Greg Bernhardt kept the Retro Smilies so we can show how sad we really are.

 

[davenn]

lava flow maps for the 5th June and the 6th June

5th

6th

The whole subdivision has now pretty much gone

 

[BillTre]

The white (on the maps) offshore in the ocean, defines the outer reaches of the tidepools.
That's where the waves break as the water gets shallow just off shore of the tidepools.
They were many acres in size.
Taught my kids snorkling there.