No News is Good News

In spite of cloudy conditions this morning, we were able to access the entire flow field of Kilauea Volcano’s lower east rift zone eruption. We got a clear look within Fissure 8 this morning, and saw zero lava… not even a small glow. The small amounts of lava erupted over the past six weeks have resurfaced the floor of the vent, but not exited the mouth to the northeast. Remarkably, except for very near the fissures that have been active, Leilani is starting to get green again! Vents nearby continue steaming steadily, but there is no active lava along the line of fissures or anywhere else on the flow field. Pohoiki’s enormous sand bar persists, and the beach there wraps around from dead trees to the south end of the bay. Several black sand beaches have popped up on both sides of the initial ocean entry at Mackenzie… and the County has been taking bids to rebuild the road covered by the flow nearby to give access to Isaac Hale Beach Park. 

It is now six weeks since the eruption went into a pause… or lull, as scientists call it. But she is showing no signs of reactivation… almost no seismic, particularly in the LERZ… and may or may not resume eruptive activity. The lack of seismicity both at the summit and the lower east rift zone seem to support that projection, but time will tell. 

Leilani, First Responder Ducky, Special Guest Chelsi Nelson, Bruce Omori and I were back in the office with Paradise Helicopters’ pilot Sean Regehr. Paradise Helicopters and Sean… what a team!