It's Alive!

Only two days later and the finger of the lava flow near the Kalapana viewing site had moved over 40 meters! Covering older flows, bright silvery pahoehoe lava had oozed over the viewing trail and within 20 meters of the viewing site. Above is a picture of new lava (light silver) atop older lava (dark grey).

There are two main types of basaltic lava flows: pahoehoe and 'a'a. Pahoehoe (pronounced pahoyhoy in Hawaiian) flows can look smooth or ropy and layered. You can see the varied texture in the picture below.

Pahoehoe flows extend as new molten lobes break out from cooled crust. 'A'a flows have a rougher, blocky texture and can look like a rolling wave of lava. They also flow much faster than pahoehoe flows. So if pahoehoe flows are like a horse and buggy, 'a'a flows are like cadillac cars. In one of Kilauea's prior eruptions, for example, 'a'a flows traveled 12 km in less than a day. It took pahoehoe flows around 3 months to cover the same distance. As a result of their high speed, 'a'a flows are can be much more dangerous.

The coolest thing I saw out in the flows was a lava cascade: hot molten lava pouring down like a waterfall.

All images are property of the USGS.

Aloha

"They are reporting what they generally report: scattered clouds and 80 degrees," announced the captain as my plane started it's descent into Oahu. (I know, I have a hard life). Unfortunately, I was only in Oahu for 2 hours, just enough time to watch the Lakers get crushed and realize that when I retire, this is where I will be bound.

The Big Island, not Oahu, was my final destination. For the next three months I will be volunteering at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) researching and helping monitor Kilauea volcano. Kilauea first erupted on January 3, 1983. Now twenty-seven years later, the volcano is still alive and kicking. Just exactly how alive and kicking is what I came to find out.

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Less than 24 hours in and I already had my first encounter with an active lava flow. This flow has been creeping towards the road for weeks. Due to the proximity to the road (and thus people and buildings), the HVO staff is keeping a close eye on the impetuous lava flow from the east rift zone. As a result, my boss had to pull weekend duty and I got to tag along.

Our task was to map the growth of the lava flow and see just how close to the road it actually is. Using a gps device, we followed the sinuous margins of the young flow. Though the task of walking next to a slow, barely moving crusted over lava flow (in some places it looked as if the flow had stopped completely) may seem simple, it is not. At all. Our journey involved wading through thick brush, navigating around cracked, hot flows (and sometimes on top of the flows when other routes proved too precarious), and general abuse of my poor quads. The heat emanating from certain parts of the flow (particularly the glowing red parts) was staggering. It was like standing in front of an open oven for hours. To protect ourselves from scratches and burns, we wore long sleeves, long pants, and thick leather gloves. Not exactly cool, breathable clothing and by the end of our hike I was drenched in sweat.

Since Saturday’s mapping excursion, the flow had moved even closer to the viewing area situated next to the road. My boss predicted that by nightfall, visitors would actually be able to see lava oozing from the viewing area. When we visited, however, you still had to move off the trail to get a good view of the flow. (Note: Leaving the trail is NOT allowed for non-geologists/park rangers. It is dangerous both because of the heat and the heavy concentration of smoke pouring out of the vegetated area that is being swallowed by the hungry flow. Both myself and my boss wore gas masks as we navigated around these flows, not to mention all our other protective gear.)

Four hours in the field left me terrified, exhilarated, and exhausted. I can’t wait for my next excursion. Next time, however, I will bring much more water and wear thicker socks.