Crowd-pleasing lava flow continues march to ocean

The latest lava flow from the eruption at Puu Oo crater was still flowing down the pali through an abandoned area of the Royal Gardens subdivision toward the ocean as of Tuesday morning.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory spokeswoman Janet Babb said based on geologists’ observations, the lava flow was about 1.5 miles from the ocean.

She said the lava flow can be seen from the end of Chain of Craters Road and the Hawaii County viewing area at Kalapana.

Several hundred people witnessed the lava flow Monday night, about twice as many as usual, said David Taylor, supervisor of the security guard firm contracted by the county.

"All the tour buses are showing up," he said.

Taylor said viewing at the county site is open from 2 to 10 p.m., with the best time to arrive at 5:30 p.m., before darkness at 6:15 p.m.

The eruption in Kilauea’s middle east rift started a fissure eruption on Jan. 3, 1983, and has continued since at Puu Oo or from vents within a few kilometers east or west.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory provides summaries of the lava flow along with photographs at hvo.wr.usgs.gov.