Lava from Puu Oo spreads over coastal plain
The flows active on the coastal plain for the last month and a half have entered Hawai?i Volcanoes National Park in this April 23 photo. These flows were just 55 meters (180 ft) within the Park boundary, and 900 meters (0.6 miles) from the ocean. The p?hoehoe breakouts at the flow front had a rough, spiny texture possibly because they were slightly cooler than more typical fluid p?hoehoe toes.
In Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, darkness falls on Kilauea Crater revealing a red glow from the lava on the crater's floor.
This April 13 image combines a thermal image with a normal photograph, with the bright yellow areas showing active breakouts and red/purple areas showing warm, but inactive, flow areas.
In the background, the fume sources on the pali mark the path of the lava tube coming through Royal Gardens subdivision in this April 19 photo.
Photo gallery: Island Images: Kilauea in April
Lava flows from Puu Oo vent are spreading over the coastal plain in Kalapana and over the weekend entered the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. But the flows are still about a half-mile from the ocean.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory released new lava photos taken Monday that show slow-moving breakouts of pahoehoe lava, with the characteristic look of bunched up rope as it cools.
Other photos released in the last month show how the lava has been spreading on the plain, rather than moving directly to the south, toward the ocean.
The plain is below the Pulama Pali and the Royal Gardens subdivision.
The observatory also released video and thermal images showing the summit lava lake rising at Halemaumau Crater.
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A glow from the lava lake illuminates the gas plume coming from the vent at night. The lava level rises and falls as the volcano goes through inflation and deflation cycles. The lake level is about 230 feet below the floor of Halemaumau Crater.
