Latest Lava News

The scientist who updates the observatory's lava updates sites has been gone since the 14th, so nothing new is showing there. A phone call to the HVNP also reveals that nothing has changed with viewing since my last posting. We did, however, have a pretty big earthquake last Wednesday, January 18th - Magnitude 4.7. I didn't feel it, but a lot of people did around here. It was centered at Loihi (the next Hawaiian island, still underwater of the southern coast of the Big Island) so it probably did not do much to Kilauea.

January 18th Kilauea Lava Updates

Not a whole lot has changed recently. A call to the daily lava update line reveals that "the best way to see lava is to drive to the end of Chain of Craters road and look up the hill for a glow after dark (about 6:15)". It says that dots and streams are visible that way (they are several miles away). During the day, you can also still see a steam cloud usually, 2 miles away, if you walk in 1/2 mile on pavement and another several hundred yards on old lava. It appears that you no longer can walk any closer than that - it sounds like they fear a bench collapse like the one that caused this view:


Photo Courtesy of U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey

Notice how the whole cliff looks sheared off - that's caused by about 40 acres of land just falling into the ocean last month.

At the USGS site, they say that there is some lava visible a couple miles in on the Kalapana side of the current eruption. It would be interesting if the flow moved over to the Kalapana side again.

January Kilauea Hawaii Lava Update

Despite a short heating up and then a smaller slowdown there is not much to update. The lava is still visible as breakouts on the cliff (pali) and still flowing to the ocean. There is still nothing major to be seen with a short hike and really nothing major to be seen even with the long hike. As always, a trip to the Volcanoes National Park is worth it, just don't expect to to be able to walk right up to flowing hot lava at this time.