This natural-colour image of Kilauea releasing an eruption plume was captured on 7 August 2008 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite and is available on the NASA Earth Observatory site in both low-resolution and high-resolution versions. The grey eruption plume from the volcano can be seen blowing away to the south-west.

For all our Kilauea coverage: Kilauea « The Volcanism Blog.

Information
Global Volcanism Program: Kilauea - summary information for Kilauea (1302-01-)
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - main page for the HVO
HVO Kilauea Status Page - the latest activity reports for Kilauea

Kilauea is inflating. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s tiltmeter network has been reporting variable levels of inflation at the summit of the volcano since 27 June. Yesterday, 30 June, the HVO reported that ‘Both Kilauea summit and Pu`u `O`o Cone are inflating. The inflation is accompanied by increased ash production, increased amplitude of seismic tremor bursts, and increased intensity of vent incandescence at the summit’. The fact that the inflation seems to be becoming steadier rather than episodic, and is accompanied by increased tremor and incandescence, suggests the ascent of fresh magma is under way (although at the beginning of this year the ascent of magma within Kilauea took place during a period when the volcano was deflating: Kilauea is full of surprises).

Detailed information on volcanic deformation at Kilauea can be found here: Kilauea deformation. From this source comes the graph below, which shows the tiltmeter data for Pu’u O’o Cone (’POC’) and for Uwekahuna (’UWE’) on the north-western rim of Kilauea crater, for the period 24-30 June.

The general situation at Kilauea is that the Halema’uma’u vent is continuing to produce elevated amounts of sulphur dioxide (the most recent measurements, on 26 June, found the rate to be approximately 900 tonnes per day, as against a normal background rate of 100-150 tonnes per day), and Pu’u O’o crater is also releasing sulphur dioxide. Lava continues to flow to the ocean through the volcanic feature with the name that sounds like a prison movie, the Thanksgiving Eve Breakout.

The HVO has some good images of volcanic activity at and around Kilauea, including the following pictures of a fine littoral explosion at the Waikupanaha ocean entry, caused by the reaction between hot lava and cold seawater. Clicking on the images will take you to the source page, where these pictures were posted on 30 June 2008.

For all our Kilauea coverage: Kilauea << The Volcanism Blog.

Information
Global Volcanism Program: Kilauea - summary information for Kilauea (1302-01-)
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - main page for the HVO
HVO Kilauea Status Page - the latest activity reports for Kilauea

On the left, area without vog; on the right, same area with vog. Image: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

As Kilauea continues to pump out large quantities of sulphur dioxide and Hawaiian politicians meet to talk about the problem of vog, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have put together a timely new page providing extensive information about sulfur dioxide emissions, vog, volcanic ash, and air quality.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: sulfur dioxide, vog and volcanic ash FAQ

For all our Kilauea coverage: Kilauea << The Volcanism Blog.

Information
Global Volcanism Program: Kilauea - summary information for Kilauea (1302-01-)
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - main page for the HVO
HVO Kilauea Status Page - the latest activity reports for Kilauea

Over at Eruptions Erik Klemetti has a succinct, informative post on Kilauea that reminds me that I’ve been neglecting that particular volcano lately, and am conscious of it, but in truth there’s been little new to report during May and June. Halema’uma’u Crater continues to erupt small amounts of ash and high levels of sulphur dioxide, SO² continues to issue from Pu’u ‘o’o crater, lava continues to reach the sea at the Waikupanaha ocean entry. A week-by-week summary of eruptive activity at Kilauea can be found at the Global Volcanism Program.

Locally the issue of vog is causing concern: The Kauai Garden Island News reports on the first hearings of the state House committee on vog, and The Honolulu Advertiser comments that the hearings showed that no-one really knows just how dangerous vog is and how best people can adjust to living with it:

Doctors had no hard data showing the vog is causing new ailments. Emergency responders discussed Big Island evacuation plans, but didn’t know how bad the vog would have to get before becoming a public health crisis. Only a few things were certain: Big Island residents will have to learn to live with the vog for the foreseeable future, and those suffering respiratory illnesses need to find ways to cope depending on their symptoms.

For all our Kilauea coverage: Kilauea << The Volcanism Blog.

Information
Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program - summary information for Kilauea (1302-01-)
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - main page for the HVO
HVO Kilauea Status Page - the latest activity reports for Kilauea

News
State vog committee meets today - Kauai Garden Island News, 20 June 2008
No clear answers yet to health risks of vog - Honolulu Advertiser, 20 June 2008

The NASA Earth Observatory Natural Hazards website has published satellite images from 26 April 2008 showing recent eruptive activity at Kilauea, Hawaii.

26 April 2008: Image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite showing a blue-white plume of vog blowing westward over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii. Link to image.

26 April 2008: Image from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite showing sulphur dioxide levels in the lowest 5km of the atmosphere. The image clearly shows the high concentrations that were present. Link to image.

Hawaii Magazine reports that the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has just re-opened, and their man Bill Harby is breathing easier: ‘It’s nice to look out my window just a few miles from the crater and see the rain forest instead of the vog’. The park has been closed for two days because of hazardous emissions from Kilauea.

For all our Kilauea coverage: Kilauea << The Volcanism Blog

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has been closed and evacuated again, the second time this month, because of sulphur dioxide hazard. Kilauea volcano is currently releasing nearly ten times the normal background level of SO², reports the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: 1150 tonnes per day on 21 April, compared to normal production of 15-200 tonnes per day. Normally the trade wind carries the gas out to sea, but yesterday the wind dropped, allowing the eruption cloud to linger in the vicinity of the volcano. The Associated Press quotes park spokeswoman Mardie Lane:

‘Right now we have little to no wind’, Lane said. The plume from the volcano’s main crater was lingering over the area rather than getting blown away by trade winds the way it had been earlier in the week. ‘When you step outside, definitely your eyes tear, you have that feeling that you’d like to cough or clear your throat’.

More favourable winds are expected by the end of the week.

For all our Kilauea coverage: Kilauea << The Volcanism Blog.

Information
Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program - summary information for Kilauea (1302-01-)
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - main page for the HVO
HVO Kilauea Status Page - the latest activity reports for Kilauea
National Park Service Nature & Science - current sulphur dioxide conditions at Hawaii National park

News
Hawaii volcano forces park evacuation for 2nd time in month - Associated Press, 23 April 2008
Gas levels close Volcanoes Park - KITV Honolulu, 23 April 2008
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closes for second time this month - Hawaii Magazine, 23 April 2008
Emissions close Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Honolulu Advertiser, 23 April 2008

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that another small explosion, the third so far, occurred at the Halemaumau vent on Kilauea early on the morning of Wednesday 16 April:

A third small explosion apparently occurred just before 4 am this morning [14:00 GMT], slightly more than 24 hours after the inflation part of the most recent DI [deflation-inflation] tilt event started. The exact timing of the explosion is unknown because it was not observed but it must have happened at a time when the vent was obscured from HVO by fog. The most likely geophysical signature of the event was a seismic signal just before 4 am. The explosion deposited faintly pink ash downwind across the Halema`uma`u overlook parking lot and along a section of Crater Rim Drive. The ash appeared to be rock dust with no volcanic glass fragments.

Kilauea has also been putting on a pyrotechnic show recently, with a glowing plume emerging from the Halemaumau vent, although no incandescent particles have been ejected for the past few days. Both seismic background levels and sulphur dioxide levels remain elevated. Yesterday morning Hawaii Civil Defense recommended evacuation of the Ocean View estates in Kau district because of the high levels of sulphur dioxide, but subsequently cancelled the recommendation as the SO² levels fell.

I’m very late catching up with this, but the second in a series of essays about living with Kilauea by a local resident has been posted at the Virtual Scratchpad blog: ‘Living with Hawaii’s active volcano can leave you breathless’. It’s a very vivid picture of the realities of vog - that nasty gassy haze volcanoes like to pump out from time to time. It’s all very well writing about volcanoes from a distance, having them as near neighbours is a very different matter.

For all our Kilauea coverage: Kilauea << The Volcanism Blog.

Information
Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program - summary information for Kilauea (1302-01-)
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - main page for the HVO
HVO Kilauea Status Page - the latest activity reports for Kilauea

News
Civil Defense cancels evacuation recommendation - KPUA Hawaii News, 16 April 2008
Another blast reported at Kilauea crater - Honolulu Advertiser, 16 April 2008
Kilauea: another explosion, evacuation advisory - Hawaii Magazine, 16 April 2008

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that a second explosion has taken place at Halemaumau vent on Kilauea volcano, enlarging the vent by 5-10 metres and hurling some rock fragments up to 70 metres into the air. Investigations the following morning found lava spatter and rocks, the largest block measuring 35×21x20 centimetres. The material was apparently hot when ejected, as plastic tubs positioned to catch ash had melted. The explosion took place at 23:08 local time on 9 April 2008 (09:08 GMT, 10 April 2008. Ash fall from this event was reported as far away as Pahala, indicating that pulverized rock was carried 30 kilometres downwind.

This explosion was smaller in magnitude than the previous explosion of 19 March 2008 (which was the first such explosive event since 1924).

Information
Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program - summary information for Kilauea (1302-01-)
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - main page for the HVO
HVO Kilauea Status Page - the latest activity reports for Kilauea

News
Halema’uma’u vent explodes a second time - USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory news release, 10 April 2008
Second explosion occurs in Halemaumau Crater - Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 10 April 2008
Blast tosses rocks out of Kilauea crater - Honolulu Advertiser, 10 April 2008
Kilauea volcano vent blasts again - Hawaii Magazine, 10 April 2008
Second explosion in Halemaumau Crater - KGMB9.com, 10 April 2008

The Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park re-opened today, Thursday 10 April, after two days of closure caused by the volcanic fumes hazard from Kilauea. South-easterly winds had blown the volcano’s sulphur dioxide laden plume inland, causing the closure of the Park and adjacent areas, and forcing the evacuation of 2000 people. Today the return of the trade winds means that the plume is once more carried out to sea, reducing the hazard for the island’s communities.

Information
Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program - summary information for Kilauea (1302-01-)
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - main page for the HVO
HVO Kilauea Status Page - the latest activity reports for Kilauea
National Park Service Nature & Science - current sulphur dioxide conditions at Hawaii National park

News
Volcanoes National Park reopens today - Honolulu Advertiser, 10 April 2008
Volcano Update: Park reopens as tradewinds clear air - Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 10 April 2008
Volcanoes National Park re-opens - KHNL NBC 8, 10 April 2008
Volcanoes National Park to reopen as trade winds return - KITV Honolulu, 10 April 2008