Change had been afoot atop Kilauea Volcano for several weeks in spring 2018.
For one thing, beginning in late April, earthquakes were occurring there more often — hundreds every day, at least a dozen of which were strong enough to be felt. Then, just before 5 p.m. on May 3, magma shot up from a newly opened fissure in the Leilani Estates subdivision in Puna.
That was the start of Kilauea’s latest eruption, which went on for four months, disrupting businesses, destroying more than 700 homes, displacing thousands of residents and dominating local news.
Perched on the rim of Kilauea’s summit caldera, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) was literally on shaky ground. When a magnitude-4.2 earthquake rattled the building in mid-May, HVO geologist Janet Babb dove under her desk, in quick response to her preparedness training.
“It must’ve been quite shallow and directly beneath HVO because it was one of the sharpest seismic jolts I’ve ever felt,” she said. “When it was over, I emerged from beneath my desk and began packing. After experiencing numerous earthquakes over many days and watching an increasing number of hairline cracks open in the floors and walls of HVO, that was a pivotal moment for me. I was ready to relocate my office.”
Within days, HVO’s entire staff moved to temporary headquarters at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
“The eruption was an incredible display of nature’s power and beauty,” Babb said, “but because it forever changed the lives of so many Puna residents, it was also heart-wrenching.”
Hawaii island claims five volcanoes: Kilauea, Kohala, Hualalai, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Except for Kohala, all are considered active (i.e., they have erupted within the past 10,000 years).
Many other intriguing facts about the island’s volcanoes are revealed during Volcano Awareness Month, which is the brainchild of Babb. She thought it would be a great prelude to HVO’s 100th anniversary in 2012, not expecting it to continue; however, it was so well-received, she has spearheaded it each year since it was launched in 2010.
“January was selected as Volcano Awareness Month primarily because in 2010 Kilauea’s East Rift Zone eruption, which began in January 1983, was still going on,” Babb said. “That said, it’s important to note that with Kilauea and Mauna Loa, two of the world’s most active volcanoes, being on the island of Hawaii, the need for volcano awareness is not limited to just one month; it’s a year-round concern.”
To that end, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) offers a robust slate of talks, hikes and other educational programs throughout the year. It partners with HVO to augment those offerings during Volcano Awareness Month.
“While I oversee the effort each year, the success of Volcano Awareness Month is largely due to the passion and dedication of HVO’s and HVNP’s staffs,” Babb said. “They prepare and present new and exciting programs each year to the enthusiastic reception of people who attend. Volcanoes are both captivating and potentially dangerous. Volcano Awareness Month is designed to help people better understand the hazards of Hawaiian volcanoes as well as their fascinating science.”
Following are highlights of this year’s observance. Admission is free, and advance reservations are not required; however, HVNP charges entrance fees (those will be waived on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20). For more information, email askhvo@usgs.gov or go to 808ne.ws/volcano.
HIKES IN HVNP
>> Kilauea Iki Crater
All Mondays in January, 10 a.m. Meet HVNP ranger Michael Newman in the Kilauea Iki Overlook parking lot.
>> A walk through Kilauea Volcano’s summit history
Thursday and Jan. 17, 22 and 25; arrive by 7:45 a.m. Meet HVO Scientist Emeritus Don Swanson in the Devastation Trail parking lot.
>> Hike the path of Mauna Loa’s 1868 lava flow
Saturday, 10 a.m. Meet HVO geologists Katie Mulliken and Lil DeSmither at the Visitor Contact Station, Kahuku Unit in Kau, a 50-minute drive south of HVNP’s main entrance.
>> Hike back in time to the 1969-’74 Mauna Ulu eruption
Jan. 18; arrive by 9:45 a.m. Meet HVO geologist Carolyn Parcheta in the Mauna Ulu parking lot.
AFTER DARK IN THE PARK TALKS
Programs begin at 7 p.m. in Kilauea Visitor Center’s auditorium.
>> Transitions: What’s Next for HVO and the Volcanoes it Monitors?
Tuesday. Speaker: Tina Neal, HVO’s scientist-in-charge. Repeats Thursday, Building 301, Room 100, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 7 p.m.
>> What’s happening at Kilauea Volcano’s Summit?
Jan. 14. Speakers: HVO geologists Matt Patrick and Tricia Nadeau.
>> Kilauea Lower East Rift Zone 2019: Quiet but Insightful
Jan. 21. Speaker: HVO geologist Carolyn Parcheta.
>> Seismicity of the 2018 Kilauea Volcano eruption
Jan. 28. Speaker: HVO seismologist Brian Shiro.
ADDITIONAL TALKS
>> Living with Earthquakes in Hawaii
Wednesday, Kailua-Kona Public Library, 3:30 p.m. Speaker: HVO seismologist Brian Shiro. Repeats that day at the West Hawaii Civic Center at 6 p.m.
>> What Can Lava Tell Us? Deciphering Kilauea’s 2018 Eruption Through Chemistry
Jan. 16, Building 301, Room 100, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 7 p.m. Speakers: Geologists Lopaka Lee, HVO, and Cheryl Gansecki, University of Hawaii at Hilo.
>> What Will You Do When Earth’s Largest Active Volcano Erupts?
Jan. 29, Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park amphitheater, 6 p.m. Speaker: HVO geologist Frank Trusdell.
>> Mauna Loa: Status Update and How to Prepare for Its Next Eruption
Jan. 30, Ocean View Community Center, Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, 6 p.m. Speakers: Tina Neal, HVO’s scientist-in-charge, and Talmadge Magno, Hawaii County’s civil defense administrator.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
>> A Walk into the Past with Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar
All Tuesdays in January, Kilauea Visitor Center, 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Actor-director Dick Hershberger portrays Thomas Jaggar, the renowned geologist who founded HVO. Limit of 20 people per session; tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis on program days.
>> Explore Kahuku
HVNP’s Kahuku Unit is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Explore on your own or join rangers on weekends for a two-hour guided walk beginning at 9:30 a.m.
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KILAUEA’S 2018 ERUPTION: FAST FACTS
>> Duration: May 3 to Sept. 5, 2018
>> New land added: 875 acres
>> Homes destroyed: 716
>> Miles of road covered by lava: 30
>> Highest height of fountaining at fissure 8 during Kilauea’s lower East Rift Zone eruption: 243 feet (about 22 stories)
>> Highest height of ash plume at Halemaumau Crater: 30,000 feet above sea level (more than 5.5 miles)
>> Cubic yards of lava that erupted: 1 billion (enough to fill at least 320,000 Olympic-size swimming pools)
>> Number of earthquakes from April 30 to Aug. 4, 2018: about 80,000 (the largest, 6.9 on the Richter scale, occurred on May 4)
>> Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closure: May 11 to Sept. 21 (134 days)
For more information, go to volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo.
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KILAUEA’S 2018 ERUPTION: BY THE NUMBERS
4 months: Duration from May 3 to Sept. 5, 2018
875 acres: New land added
716: Homes destroyed
30: Miles of road covered by lava
243 feet (About 22 stories): Highest height of fountaining at fissure 8 during Kilauea’s lower East Rift Zone eruption
30,000: Feet above sea level (more than 5.5 miles) Highest height of ash plume at Halemaumau Crater
1B cubic yards: Amount of lava that erupted (enough to fill at least 320,000 Olympic-size swimming pools)
80,000: Number of earthquakes from April 30 to Aug. 4, 2018, the largest — 6.9 on the Richter scale — occurred on May 4
134 days: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closure: May 11 to Sept. 21
For more information, go to volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo.
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
