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Recent activity at the lava lake deep within the Halema`uma`u vent cavity. Spattering can be seen in the northwest corner (upper left) and a steady stream of lava, coming from an unseen source towards the southeast, is in the lower right. For scale, the lava lake is about 150 meters (164 yards) wide here. The lava stream plunges into the lava lake, disrupting the crust in a chaotic fashion and later inducing a rotation to the flow in the lake.
(Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)
A small lava lake was present deep within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent during the past week. A cycle of deflation and inflation (a DI event) was recorded at the summit starting last weekend and lasting through the early part of the week. The level of the lake fell during the deflation and rose again slightly during the inflation. Volcanic gas emissions remain elevated, resulting in relatively high concentrations of sulfur dioxide downwind.
Lava also erupted continuously within Pu`u `O`o over the past week, feeding a lava lake perched above the crater floor. The crater floor was 39 m (128 ft) below the east rim of Pu`u `O`o when measured on Wednesday, June 1. The level of the lava lake dropped in response to the summit DI event, preventing overflows from the lake. Deflation at Pu`u `O`o was ongoing as of Thursday, June 2. No lava is erupting outside the crater.
No earthquakes beneath Hawai`i Island were reported felt this past week.
Visit the HVO Web site (hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed Kilauea and Mauna Loa activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.