KILAUEA gets gassy too!

I love the Big Island of Hawai'i. If I had the opportunity I would give up everything to pick up and move in a heartbeat. Yesterday. Being the youngest in the chain of this Pacific outpost, the Big Island has so much to offer including the longest eruption of a volcano. Meet Kilauea. Recently "lava is thought to be close to the surface of the summit of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, suggesting a modest eruption might occur. But geologists don't really know if it will erupt, or if lava might simply flow from the summit, or neither", according to Live Science (http://www.livescience.com)

Earlier this year, scientists snapped the first ever photo of trace lightning created from inside a plume of ash spewing from an actively erupting volcano.

Since opening in March 2008, the summit vent has sent out a thick plume of steam and ash into the skies. Geologists from the Hawai'i Volcano Observatory reported that there is a lava lake roiling below the Halemaumau crater floor. The sloshing 160-foot diameter lava lake is about 330 feet below the rim of the vent.

Geologists characterize the typical phase of lava ebb and flow in the vent as a rapid and loud rise of magma marked by intense spattering, followed by a slower period of magma draining out of the chamber. The reason for the filling and drainback? What HVO geologists call “episodic gas accumulation.” That's right, folks: “Volcanoes … They’re just like us.”

If you go to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, know that the lake is not visible from the Thomas A. Jaggar museum overlook. But the overlook offers great views of the vent’s familiar steam and gas plume by day and incandescence by night.


For hi-rez version of this video, click here and another movie here


If you have an interest in Volcanism or Kilauea, check out the USGS site for updates and webcams from the caldera. Or better yet, go visit the Big Island of Hawai'i. Many would advise you to rent a car to drive around to discover the island but it's much better when you take a one-day tour with a 3rd generation driver/guide in a practically half empty bus. He'll call you his 'ohana' and tell you everything about every spot you visit, Kilauea included! Check your hotel concierge for information about the service. You'll get to savor Kona coffee up on the plantations above Keauhou Bay and get to see waterfalls in Hilo. It's cheap and worth every penny. Then when you're ready, rent a vehicle and drive out to the spots you really want to spend time at...like sharing a black sand beach with sea turtles. Beware! Venture too close and you might pay a fine of $10,000 or was it $1000? Aloha and Mahalo!