I am going to Big Island in February. I want to know if Puu4Oo is
still active and if so, if the lawa streams are entering the sea close to
the road.
Karin
Hi Karin,
The Kilauea eruption is still going on, and there is lava in a pond
within the crater of Pu'u 'O'o. The actual vent where the lava comes out
and goes into the lava tubes is built against the outer flank of Pu'u
'O'o, and I don't think it has been given a name yet. Because the lava
stays in lava tubes almost all the way to the ocean it is very difficult
to see it flowing unless you are in a helicopter. If you are lucky the
lava will break out of its tubes down near the coast where it is flowing
into the ocean, and you can see pahoehoe toes flowing slowly along.
Unfortunately at the moment the lava is actually entering the ocean about
as far from any road as possible. The national park service has set up a
place to view it but you are still almost 3 miles away. During the day
you can see the huge plume of steam that is generated when the ocean
water boils from the heat of the lava. At night you can see the glow of
the lava where it is flowing into the ocean and if you are lucky there
may be some steam/lava explosions caused by the interaction of water and
hot lava. What you need to hope for is for the eruption to shut down for
a short while, start up again, and re-establish itself further to the
west where it will be closer to the end of the Chain of Craters Road
within the national park. If the lava is really close to the road and
viewing conditions are safe, the park rangers sometimes even mark a trail
out to the active flows so you can stand only 1-2 meters away from it!
I hope you have good luck when you are there. Even if you don't see live
lava up close, the rest of the national park is really spectacular.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland
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