Volcano officials warn of possible lava shelf collapse
COURTESY HVO
In this photo taken Saturday, an open lava stream continues to pour out of the lava tube, perched high on the sea cliff, and flow into the ocean.
COURTESY HVO
Geologists determined that the eastern end of the hot crack, shown in this photo taken Saturday, was about 11.8 inches wide and cut deeply into recent lava atop the older sea cliff. The western end could not be accessed due to safety concerns. This crack could be a precursor to the collapse of an unstable section of the sea cliff, making the site extremely dangerous to move over, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.
COURTESY HVO
A thermal image of the crack above Kīlauea volcano’s ocean entry. The temperature within the eastern end of the crack reaches about 428 degrees Fahrenheit.
COURTESY USGS
A viewing area, indicated by the yellow arrow in photo, has been created because of the instability of the sea cliff and other hazards created by molten lava flowing into the ocean.
A long, lateral crack in sea cliffs built by Kilauea Volcano has officials and scientists worried about a second collapse into the ocean.
Hawaii park officials are warning visitors to stay within the designated viewing area about 900 feet from where the lava is flowing into the ocean.
“We have a great viewing area,” Hawaii Volcanoes National Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said by telephone Tuesday.
Ferracane said even with warning signs everywhere, some people are going into closed-off areas nearer to the lava flow.
She said five people were given citations Sunday and more than four dozen citations have been issued in the last couple of months.
Ferracane said nearly 1,000 people came to view the volcanic activity on the Kalapana side of the lava flow Sunday.
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Scientists viewing the lava flow Sunday estimated the crack was 70 feet long and about 50 feet inland, said Janet Babb, a scientist with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. There was no estimate of when the makai section might break off.
A huge section of the lava shelf collapsed into the ocean on Dec. 31.
Venturing too close to an ocean entry on land or from the ocean exposes you to flying debris created by the explosive interaction between lava and water, the U.S. Geological Survey warns.
At Kamokuna, lava continues to pour into the ocean from a tube 66 feet up the sea cliff. Surface flows also remain active within 1.5 miles of the Puu Oo vent, scientists said Tuesday.
These flows currently pose no threat to nearby communities.
In Halemaumau Crater, the lava lake surface was about 60 feet below the crater floor early Tuesday morning.
2 responses to “Volcano officials warn of possible lava shelf collapse”
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The Hawaii Tourism officials must be happy today. The Matt Drudge Report has just published a fantastic photograph cited from a London newspaper of lava flowing into the ocean from the Kilauea Volcano that resembles a fire hose. Drudge is read by millions worldwide. Drudge, though known as a political conservative and not beloved by certain segments of the population, certainly is the one of the world’s greatest London-styled tabloid news editor, whose nose for odd and interesting news is unmatched by anyone in the news field.
rense and stevequayle are good too