The Return of the Lava

I suppose the lava never really left, but I was inspired by the amazing original VHS copy of Star Wars #6 that resides in the USGS dorm...Remember the days of VHS? I do.

In other news, I may have lost my camera at the summit of Mauna Loa from my epic camping trip earlier this week (which will be a post at some point, I promise), so for now I can't post pictures of my weekend adventures. A narrative will have to suffice.

The lava flows on the coast near Kalapana that are fed by Pu`u O`o have been incredibly active this past week, despite a deflation-inflation (DI) event last weekend that threatened to halt the downslope movement of the surface flows.

Earlier in the summer I went with my CSAV class to experience the lava for the first time, which involved an arduous uphill hike over tumuli in the intense heat of the early afternoon. However, last Sunday morning when I went out (with a certified HVO scientist, of course) the hike was an easy 5 minutes to get to the active flows. We mapped the fresh lobes with the GPS, walked over the flow that had cooled the day before, and then collected a few samples for ourselves. The flow was sluggish at the time, but over the next few days it moved about 400m towards the trailhead and the tourist viewing area.


Don't worry, I didn't actually eat my sample. The flows are actually quite a hazard, potentially, because they are encroaching on a forested kipuka and may cause serious forest fires. Also, the tourists might be able to see the flows from the viewing area, so the number of ignorant trespassers will likely triple in the next few days.

Here's Sarah K., Katie, me, and Sarah S. excited about lava!


The HVO scientists are predicting that the lava will actually reach the ocean because the flows are tubed (aka insulated) on the slope of the pali. Therefore, they can travel much greater distances than if they were exposed to the air.

Now, my lovely lava video.




All photos and movie footage are the property of the USGS.