New video shows ‘impressive’ spattering lava lake
The spatter from the lava lake in Halemaumau Crater was landing, in part, on the ledge adjacent to the lake, and then flowing away in a small channel toward the southern side of the vent where it was ponding and cooling. Notice the wrinkled crust on the surface of the lake.
This May 11 photo, looking east , shows the lava lake, 130-feet across, that circulates within a shallow pit on the northeast side of the Pu?u ???? crater. The heavy fume in the background is the trace of the lava tube that carries lava downslope to the active flows near the coast.
The lava lake at K?lauea’s summit was about 215 ft below the floor of Halema?uma?u crater today, with impressive spattering along its western edge
Continuous spattering at the southern edge of the lava lake in Halemaumau Crater tosses spatter onto the crusted lake surface as well as onto the rim of the ledge, building a steep spatter rampart (left side of image) on Monday, May 14, 2012.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists released new video and photos of spattering in Halemaumau Crater that they describe as "impressive."
The lava’s continuous activity is punctuated by bursts that throw lava onto an inner ledge more than 210 feet below the floor of Halemaumau Crater.
The cooling lava forms a black crust, which sinks below the surface of the lake in the spatter area.
Lava thrown onto the ledge is building what scientists describe as a "spatter rampart."
The spattering in the video is on the west side of the lava lake.
Scientists said the spattering activity shifted overnight to the east and south sides of the lake.<
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The lava lake is about 420 feet across in a vent below the floor of Halemaumau Crater at Kilauea volcano’s summit. The lake’s surface rises and falls in the vent as the volcano goes through what are known as inflation/deflation cycles.
Lava levels have been high during the last week. But they can dip to more than 492 feet below the crater floor, out of the view of the scientists’ cameras.
