Wall collapse at Halema‘uma‘u crater continues as Kīlauea vent lava unabated

This recent United States Geological Survey Video on June 13, 2018, filmed details of the dramatic changes occurring within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at Kīlauea's summit since explosive eruptions of ash and gas and ongoing wall collapse began in mid-May.

The video shows steep crater walls that continue to slump inward and downward in response to the ongoing subsidence of the summit area. This video was taken from a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems). Limited UAS flights into this hazardous area are conducted with permission and in coordination with Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

The video is used to assess hazards at the summit and the information is shared with the National Park Service and emergency managers.

Fissure 8: The journey of lava from vent to sea

The journey: From vent to the sea.

A helicopter overflight video of the lower East Rift Zone of Kilauea eruption on June 14, 2018, around 6:00 AM. The video shows lava fountaining at fissure 8 feeding and feeding the channelized flows that flow into the ocean. Lava is still flowing out of fissure 8 unabated and the channel is full.

At the start of the video, standing waves in the lava channel can be seen near the vent exit. The channel appears crust-free from vent to the bend around Kapoho Crater. A surface crust forms over the channel as it spreads out during its approach to the ocean. The overflight along the ocean entry is from north to south along the coastline. The ocean entry is active along the whole length - approximately 1 mile. Small litoral explosions are occurring and there are several plumes of laze.

Recent photo updates on Kilauea eruption

As of 6:30 a.m. HST today, fissure 8 continued to feed a vigorous channelized lava flows to the east of the vent. Overnight, fountain heights were generally 40–50 m (130-160 ft) high, with occasional bursts up to 60 m (just under 200 ft) high. The fallout from the fountains has built an asymmetric cinder-and-spatter cone around the vent, with the southwest side of the cone slightly higher (about 115 feet) than the northeast side (about 65 feet). This asymmetry reflects the prevailing trade winds, with more lava piling up on the downwind side of the fountains.

Fissure 8 and lava channel in the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano during this afternoon's overflight, with no apparent slowing in the eruption rate. The lava channel remained incandescent all the way around Kapoho Crater before entering the ocean.

An aerial view of the Kapoho ocean entry, as of 6:30 a.m. HST today, shows the extent of the lava delta, now about 200 acres in size, that has formed over the past six days (lava first entered the ocean on the night of June 3). Across the front of the delta, plumes of laze—created by molten lava interacting with seawater—appeared diminished this morning, but was probably due to a change in atmospheric conditions rather than a change in the amount of fissure 8 lava reaching the ocean. Laze, a mixture of seawater steam, hydrochloric acid, and tiny volcanic glass particles, can irritate eyes, lungs, and skin, and should be avoided.

Cracking and slumping of the Halema‘uma‘u crater walls are clearly evident in this aerial view captured during HVO's overflight of Kīlauea's summit this morning. Steam plumes have been rising from within the crater, as well as from cracks adjacent to the crater. 

Fissure 8 lava fountaining as viewed from Kupono Street at 8:00 p.m. HST on June 9. The incandescence to the left is from the active lava channel.

Updates on Kilauea Eruption

Around 3:00 a.m. HST today (June 8), lava fountains erupting from fissure 8 on Kīlauea Volcano's Lower East Rift Zone were reaching heights of 180–220 feet.

Here are some of the recent photos and videos about Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) activity of Kilauea, Fissure 8, Summit activity and slumping of Halema‘uma‘u crater.

Vigorous eruption of lava continues from the LERZ fissure system in the area of Leilani Estates.

Lava continues to erupt from Fissure 8, with vigorous fountains reaching heights of about 200-220 feet. Observers on the late afternoon overflight reported no significant changes in the Fissure 8 flow field, which continues to supply lava to the ocean entry at Kapoho. Two vigorous steam plumes are rising from the ocean flow front and being blown inland. Strong thermal upwelling was noted in the ocean extending up to 1000 yards out to sea from the visible lava front. Heavy gas and steam emissions were noted at fissures 9 & 10, but lava emission is occurring only at Fissure 8.

Outgassing from Halema‘uma‘u produced twin pillars that rose in the still morning air and merged into a towering cap above the summit of Kīlauea just after sunrise.

Low-level ash emissions continue at the summit with slowly increasing seismicity, indicating that another small explosion is likely in the next several hours. Inward slumping of the rim and walls of Halema`uma`u continues in response to ongoing subsidence at the summit.

Sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano's summit, while lower than those recorded in early-mid May, remain high enough to impact air quality in downwind regions. Additional bursts of gas released with intermittent explosive activity are also transported downwind and may temporarily affect air quality as well.

The Kapoho ocean entry (as of 6:30 a.m. HST), where the interaction of fissure 8 lava and seawater produces a white plume called "laze." Laze is a mixture of condensed acidic steam, hydrochloric acid gas, and tiny shards of volcanic glass, and can be irritating to the lungs, eyes, and skin.

HVO's early morning helicopter overflight of Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone showed that lava continues to flow into the ocean in the vicinity of Kapoho Bay and Vacationland.

Dramatic changes at Halema‘uma‘u could be seen through gases rising from the crater during HVO's overflight of the summit this morning at 10 a.m. HST. The view here looks to the southwest, with the former overlook parking lot barely visible to the left of the gas plume.

This is a video compilation from a helicopter overflight of Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone on June 6, 2018, around 6:30 AM. The video shows the fissure 8 lava fountain feeding a channelized lava flow that travels northeast around the Kapoho cone, and then flows toward the south to enter the ocean at Kapoho Bay and Vacationland. The ocean entry has completely filled Kapoho Bay with lava, building a delta that extends 0.8 miles from shore.

King Kamehameha the Great adorned in leis at the annual lei draping ceremony

King Kamehameha the Great adorned in leis

The 146th Annual Lei Draping ceremony of the King Kamehameha statue took place today at the Ali'iolani Hale at 3PM - June 8th, 2018 to honor King Kamehameha the Great.

Keeping in with the Hawaiian tradition, beautiful handmade leis were draped on the outstretched arms of King Kamehameha. A Honolulu Fire Truck was used to drape the leis. City crews and volunteers started sewing the 30 feet plumeria lei on Thursday morning.

The Lei draping ceremony also incorporated a royal court performance, Hawaiian music, and entertainment!

Musical guests this year featured the Royal Hawaiian Band and Raiatea Helm.

The Royal Hawaiian Band 

The plumeria lei

King Kamehameha the Great is also known as Kamehameha I and Kamehameha the First, was the monarch of Hawaii between 1782 and 1819. He is well-known and respected for uniting and establishing the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. Kamehameha Day is held in his honor on June 11 each year.

In 1871, Kamehameha V who is the great-grandson of Kamehameha the Great, passed a royal decree that Kamehameha Day should be celebrated. The first Kamehameha day was observed on June 11, 1872, and was one of the first State holidays celebrated after Hawaii became a US state in 1959.

Today, Statues of Kamehameha the Great are in 3 cities in the state of Hawaii, namely Honolulu, Kapaau, and Hilo. Outside the state, there is one statue in the National Statuary Hall on the US Capitol in Washington DC. 

During the Kamehameha Day ceremonies, all these statues are draped in lei.

The statue of King Kamehameha in front of Ali‘iōlani Hale was commissioned in Florence, Italy. 

King Kalākaua, the seventh monarch and last king of the Hawaiian Kingdom ordered to commission a statue in Florence, Italy to commemorate the  founder of the Kingdom, King Kamehameha the Great 

On its way from Europe, the ship carrying the bronze statue sank off the Falkland Islands. As the statue was insured, King Kalākaua ordered the second statue.  In the meantime, the first statue was recovered, and Honolulu soon had two statues. To honor the birthplace of Kamehameha, King Kalākaua gifted the original statue to the people of Kohala. The second statue stands proudly in front of Ali‘iōlani Hale.

Ali‘iōlani Hale is home to Hawai‘i’s Supreme Court and the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center.

The regal women of ‘Ahahui Ka‘ahumanu society string the 30 feet long plumeria lei which serve as a base of lei on the statue – Other leis are adorned on top of these plumeria lei. The Kaʻahumanu Society (official name: ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu) is a civic club in Hawaii formed by Princess Victoria Kamāmalu in 1864 for the relief of the elderly and the ill. The club celebrates the life of Queen Kaʻahumanu and the preservation of Hawaiian culture at special events like Kamehameha day parade.

Kamehameha Day is officially on Monday, June 11, 2018. The celebrations of the day kicked off today by the lei draping ceremony. This will be followed by a floral parade on Saturday morning, fairs, carnivals and running, horse and cycle races and Hula competitions.

Some of the photos during today ceremony

The lei is ready 

The lei in making 

Carefully getting the lei on the outstretched hand of the statue

The fire truck to adorn the lei 

Blessing of the Lei by the Hawaiian priest 

Carefully lifting the lei from ground 

Draping the statue 

The lei Queen 

The plumeria lei ready to be adorned 

Waiting for adorning the lei 

People watching the ceremony 

Plumerai Lei 

Kīlauea Volcano — USGS Video Compilation of Kapoho Bay Ocean Entry

This short video compilation shows conditions at Kapoho Bay during a helicopter overflight on June 4, 2018, around 6:15 a.m. HST and again around 1:38 p.m. HST. By 6:15 a.m., lava from fissure 8 had entered the ocean for over seven hours. The flow front was about a half-mile wide, with lava building a delta a few hundred yards into the bay. The ocean entry sends a large laze plume into the air along the coastline. In the second video, taken about seven hours later (around 1:38 p.m.), lava had nearly filled the shallow bay.

Latest Video Update on Kilauea Lava Flow

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) conducted a mission on Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone to collect video of flowing lava in the upper lava channel of fissure 8. Scientists use the video to assess lava flow velocities, which are measured by tracking surface features in the stationary video view. Using UAS for this type of investigation has many advantages because the aircraft can hover above hazardous areas and it utilizes stabilized gimbals and mounts so that the video captured by onboard HD cameras is steady and smooth. Information obtained from this mission was relayed to Hawai‘i County emergency officials to aid in issuing emergency alerts and notices about the timing of evacuations. Video by the U.S. Geological Survey and Office of Aviation Services, Department of the Interior, with support from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Kīlauea Volcano - Midday Overflight (June 5)

A mid-day overflight on June 5 shows the ongoing partial collapse of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. To the north of the former visitor Overlook parking area (closed in 2008) is the site of the former lava lake—now a deep hole piled with wall-rock rubble. The western portion of Halema‘uma‘u has moved down and toward the center of the crater as new cracks form on the caldera floor to the west. Kīlauea's summit continues to subside due to the withdrawal of magma towards the volcano's East Rift Zone.

Lava tide from fissure 8 almost completely fills the Kapoho Bay

Kapoho Bay before the Kilauea eruption. Source: Google Maps

Kapoho Bay completely filled by lava on the morning of June 5, 2018. Source : USGS

Images from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) show that lava tide from fissure 8  has completely filled the beloved Kapoho Bay and destroyed homes in greater part of the Vacation Land.

The destructive fissure 8 flow entered the ocean at approximately 10:30 p.m. Sunday evening to produce a delta that began to fill in Kapoho Bay in lower Puna. According to Jim Kauahikaua of the USGS, the bay already was halfway filled in by noon Monday, and the flow reached the north side of the bay, where Champagne Ponds is located, by Monday evening.

It is estimated that a total of159 homes were destroyed till now, which includes 42 homes recently destroyed in Kapoho Bay.

Janet Babb, the spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said more than 20 square kilometers, or 5,000 acres, have been covered by lava since the eruption in the lower East Rift Zone began May 3.

The ocean entry of  fissure 8 lava is about half a mile wide in some places,  contributing to the high amount of lava haze called laze. Laze contains high amounts of hydrochloric acid along with tiny fragments of volcanic glass which can cause skin and eye irritation and difficulty in breathing. 

Big Island has experienced more than 12,000 earthquakes since the Kilauea started spewing lava about a month back.

Here are some of the recent aerial photographs of Kapoho Bay and Kilauea

HVO scientists captured this aerial view of a much-changed Halema‘uma‘u during their overflight of the summit this afternoon. Explosions and collapse within Halema‘uma‘u have enlarged the crater (foreground) that previously hosted the summit lava lake, and the far rim of Halema‘uma‘u has dropped with continued summit deflation. The parking area for the former Halema‘uma‘u Overlook (closed since early 2008 due to volcanic hazards) can be seen to the left of the crater.

Morning view of Halema‘uma‘u and the adjacent caldera floor from the Kīlauea overlook. Heavy steam dominates the view, and strong winds are blowing the plume to the southwest.

Lava from fissure 8 meets ocean at the Kapoho bay

Overflight photograph at approximately 6:13 a.m. HST shows the lava flow originating from Fissure 8 (not visible in photograph) entering Kapoho Bay. The ocean entry was reported to have occurred by 10:30 p.m. on the night of June 3, 2018.

The lava from fissure 8 entered the ocean at  Kapoho Bay at about 10:30 PM HST on June 3 generating a laze plume that is blowing inland but dissipating quickly. As of today morning, the lava is also constructing a delta in Kapoho Bay extending a few hundred yards into the bay.

The lava flow front is half a mile wide. A sluggish lava flow was observed in the vicinity of fissure 18 and rest of the fissures are all inactive.

Volcanic gas emissions remain very high from the fissure eruptions and also at the summit. Trade wind conditions are bringing vog to the south and west sides of the Island of Hawaii. Afternoon easterly winds may bring vog to communities in the Volcano area.

Inward slumping of the rim and walls of the walls of Halema`uma`u continues in response to persistent subsidence.

The USGS is predicting an increased earthquake activity in the coming days.

Some of the photos from USGS update today:

Video from helicopter overflight of Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone on June 4, 2018, shows lava from fissure 8 entering the ocean at Kapoho Bay. View to the north.

What a difference four days makes! These thermal images of fissure 8 fountains erupting on Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone show a few things: 1) The lava fountains have gained height—with the tallest one growing from 150 ft to over 250 ft. 2) A pu‘u (cone) has built up downwind. 3) The amount of material wafting downwind is greater. Scientifically, we know the fountain temperatures are reaching up to about 2040 degrees F (1115 C). The composition of the lava erupted has high MgO (magnesium oxide) values, which comes from olivine crystals that are being pulled from deep in the rift zone.

UAS mission films astonishing details of changes occurring within Halema‘uma‘u crater at Kīlauea's summit

This new U.S. Geological Survey aerial video reveals the astonishing changes within Halema‘uma‘u Crater and the vent that housed a 12-acre lava lake up until a few weeks ago. The vent is now about 100 acres and is devoid of lava as far as the eye can tell. Where did all that lava go? Is the vent capped in rock material now? When, or how could it, explode? These are the questions scientists will try to answer by studying this video and other data they are collecting about the ongoing changes with the #KilaueaEruption.

A UAS mission on May 31, 2018, filmed details of the dramatic changes occurring within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at Kīlauea's summit since explosive eruptions of ash and gas and ongoing wall collapse began in mid-May.

Clearly visible are steep, and in places, overhung crater walls, new cracks and faults that reflect ongoing subsidence of the area and intense steaming from a new collapse pit on the north margin of Halema‘uma‘u. Footage also shows yellow sulfur precipitate on the rubble-covered floor and a scattering of large ballistic blocks around the crater rim.

This video was taken from a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems). Limited UAS flights into this hazardous area are conducted with permission and coordination with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The overflights collect visual information on what is happening at this rapidly changing eruption site. Scientists will be examining the footage in detail to understand how the expanding collapse area is evolving, the extent of ballistic debris, and other clues as to what is happening at Kīlauea's summit. 

This information informs the assessment of hazards, which is shared with the National Park Service and emergency managers. Video by the U.S. Geological Survey and Office of Aviation Services, Department of the Interior, with support from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Vigorous lava eruption continues from lower east rift zone of Kilauea

Overnight (June 1-2), fissure 8 lava fountains decreased to heights of about 50 m (164 feet). The moon can be seen in the upper left.

Photo from 7AM helicopter overflight, hovering offshore and looking up the flowfront. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing; advance rates were estimated at an average of 250 feet/hour (76 m/hr), and as of 7AM the flow was 500 yards (457 m) from the ocean.

This video was taken on the June 3 7AM HST helicopter overflight, hovering offshore and looking up the flow front. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing; advance rates were estimated at an average of 250 feet/hour (76 m/hr), and as of 7AM the flow was 500 yards (457 m) from the ocean.

Mount Kilauea continues to erupt lava one month after it all started on May 3, 2018.  Fissure 8 is persistently fountaining since a week delivering lava northeast along Highway 132 to the Kapoho area. The lava stream was about 430 yards from the ocean at the Kapoho Bay between Kapoho Beach Road and Kapoho Kai Drive.

All other fissures are silent now, although Fissure 9 is steaming heavily.

Pele's hair and other lightweight volcanic glass from high fountaining of Fissure 8 are falling downwind of the fissure and accumulating on the ground within Leilani Estates.

Earthquake activity at the summit was high overnight, and it is possible that a small explosion, much like those that have occurred during the past two weeks, will take place in the next day. Ash emissions are low as revealed by webcam views this morning. Volcanic gas emissions at the summit remain high.

Here are some of the latest photos by United States Geological Survey 

As fissure 8 lava flowed into Green Lake, the lake water boiled away, sending a white plume high into the sky—visible from afar between around 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. HST. This aerial photo, taken a couple of hours later by the Hawai‘i County Fire Department, shows still-steaming lava within Green Lake, located near the intersection of Highways 132 and 137.

Summit plume at 8:40AM HST on June 3. A slight mist in the air softens the look of the plume, which is predominantly white steam with very minor amounts of ash.

Overflight photo at 7AM HST from offshore looking up the flowfront. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing/spreading.

Overnight (June 1-2), fissure 8 lava fountains decreased to heights of about 50 m (164 feet). The moon can be seen in the upper left.

The Rare, Giant corpse flower at Foster Botanical garden has bloomed

The giant corpse flower with the spathe cut open 

A rare, giant Titan Arum, or "corpse flower," has bloomed at the Foster Botanical Garden, Honolulu, Hawaii. The flower is 6 feet 3 inches tall, towering over the neighboring plants in the hot-house at the garden.

The unbloomed corpse flower photo by Hawaii News Now

The plant does not have a regular blooming season and sometimes decades go by between the sporadic blossoms. Once bloomed, it is expected that the bloom will last for 24-48 hours after which it collapses rapidly.

The flower is named after the pungent odor the bloom emits which resemble a decaying animal or corpse. Why the strong and pungent smell? It all comes to the continuation of species.  The smell, color, and temperature are all means for attracting insects for pollination to continue the species. Dung beetles, flesh flies, and other carnivorous insects are the primary pollinators of this type of flower.

The male and female flowers at the base of the spadix or phallus 

The beautiful burgundy skirt  and the phallus

The corpse flower has designed a very clever way of fooling the insects into believing that it is a piece of flesh/ dead animal due to the smell, warming itself up to 98 degrees Fahrenheit (36.7 Celsius) and the burgundy color, attracting the beetles. Eventually as the insect take-off after sitting on the flower, they have pollens sticking on their legs for pollinating another flower. Once this task is completed the flower collapses and shrivels up.

The scientific name of the corpse flower is Amorphophallus titanium. (from Ancient Greek amorphous, "without form, misshapen" + phallos, "phallus", and titan, "giant"). The legendary Sir David Attenborough first used the name titan arum to refer to this magnificent tropical plant in the BBC series 'The Private Lives of Plants' because he felt viewers might be offended by the plant’s Latin name, Amorphophallus titanum. 

The corpse flower is not a single flower but an inflorescence (a stalk of many flowers). It consists of a mixture of tiny male and female flowers clumped together at the base of phallus-like structure called (spadix) surrounded by a beautiful pleated skirt-like covering (spathe) that is bright green on the outside and deep maroon/ burgundy inside when opened.

The female flower precedes the male flowers to maturity; hence self-pollination is not possible, requiring the help of insects.

The inflorescence which can grow over 3 meters (10 ft) in height rises from the tuber, which is a large spherical underground stem modified to store food for the plant. It is very large and weighs around 100 pounds. After the inflorescence withers-off, a single leaf sprout from the tuber reaching a height of 6-7 meter and branching into numerous leaflets. Every year the leaf withers and new emerges till the plant is ready to flower again. This cycle continues through 40 years which is the total lifespan of this plant

If pollinated, the stalk grows into a large club like head of orange seeds.

The corpse flower was first discovered in Sumatra in 1878 by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari, according to the UC Botanical Garden. The plant grows in the wild only in tropical rainforests of Asia. It is an endangered plant because of habitat destruction in most part of Indonesia, decrease in insect population that pollinate the plant and help in seed distribution. Indonesia has probably lost 72% of its native rainforests and the deforestation continues.

The plant is very difficult to cultivate, and only a handful of places across the globe have been successful in doing so! It also requires 7-10 years of vegetative growth before blooming for the first time. There are about 100 cultivated corpse plants around the world.

Plants like this are magnificent and make us realize the complexity and biodiversity of the botanical world. 

The pleated skirt 

The beautiful skirt 

The edges of the skirt

The collapsed corpse flower courtesy: Foster Botanical Garden


Time-lapse video of corpse flower bloom 

Watch the corpse flower bloom in this captivating and astonishing time-lapse video. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s rare titan arum bloomed and opened over an exciting 24-hour period after growing for more than 11 years.