Recent Kilauea Status Reports, Updates, and Information

New updates on Kilauea activity and more for Thursday, November 3, 2011 7:43 AM HST (Thursday, November 3, 2011 17:43 UTC)

This report on the status of Kilauea volcanic activity, in addition to maps, photos, and Webcam images (available using the menu bar above), was prepared by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park status can be found at http://www.nps.gov/havo/ or 985-6000. All times are Hawai`i Standard Time.

KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-01-)
19°25’16″ N 155°17’13″ W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary for past 24 hours: DI inflation started yesterday morning and the summit lava lake level began to rise. At Pu`u `O`o, incandescence was visible from eastern and western locations on the crater floor. Lava flows fed by the fissure may no longer be active on the flow field southeast of Pu`u `O`o. Seismic tremor levels were elevated at the summit but low elsewhere; gas emissions were elevated.

Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: The summit tiltmeter network recorded the switch to DI inflation at 7 am yesterday morning. The summit lava lake began to rise soon after the switch but remained below the inner ledge which is 75 m (250 ft) below the Halema`uma`u Crater floor. A small amount of ash-sized tephra was wafted within the gas plume from the summit vent and deposited on nearby surfaces. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 800 tonnes/day on November 2, 2011.

Seismic tremor levels increased slightly with DI inflation. Four earthquakes were strong enough to be located beneath Kilauea volcano: one within the upper east rift zone (near Keanakako`i Crater) and three on south flank faults.

Background: The summit lava lake is deep within a ~150 m (500 ft) diameter cylindrical vent with nearly vertical sides inset within the east wall and floor of Halema`uma`u Crater. Its level fluctuates from about 70 m to more than 150 m (out of sight) below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater. The vent has been mostly active since opening with a small explosive event on March 19, 2008. Most recently, the lava level of the lake responds to summit tilt changes with the lake receding during deflation and rising during inflation.

Past 24 hours at the middle east rift zone vents: The tiltmeter on the north flank of Pu`u `O`o cone recorded continued DI deflation. Incandescence could be seen from openings at the east and west edges of the crater floor; possibly weak incandescence was visible from the September 21 fissure on the upper east flank of the Pu`u `O`o cone. Lava flows may no longer be active on the flow field to the southeast of Pu`u `O`o based on satellite images acquired overnight; while there is still a thermal anomaly visible when the area is not covered with clouds, it has been weakening over the past few days.

Seismic tremor levels near Pu`u `O`o remained low. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 230 tonnes/day on November 2, 2011, from all east rift zone sources.

Background: The eruption in Kilauea’s middle east rift zone started with a fissure eruption on January 3, 1983, and has continued since at Pu`u `O`o Cone, or from vents within a few kilometers to the east or west, with few interruptions. In early August, the Pu`u `O`o crater floor collapsed to a depth of about 75 m (245 ft) below the east rim of the crater as lava burst from vents on the lower west flank of the cone. A DI tilt event several days later cut off supply to Pu`u `O`o and the west flank vents; lava reappeared in Pu`u `O`o Crater on August 21st and filled it to overflowing. A fissure eruption on the upper southeast flank of Pu`u `O`o Cone on Sept. 21 drained the lava lakes and fed a lava flow advancing southeast. Since then, activity has waxed and waned with DI tilt variations.