You are here

Kilauea Eruption Prompts Closings at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Share

New lava eruption in Kilauea's east rift zone. NPS photo.

In response to a vigorous new eruption in a remote area of Kilauea's east rift zone, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park officials have temporarily closed some visitor facilities and areas.

Arguably the most active volcano on earth, Kilauea (kee-luh-WAY-uh) has a habit of kicking up a fuss. The Pu`u `O`o eruption that began on the east flank of the great shield volcano back in January 1983 is still going on.

Kilauea's summit caldera, the centerpiece of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is an impressive landform. Encompassing about 2,600 acres, it is 2.5 miles long, 2 miles wide and over 300 feet deep. At one end of the caldera is a firepit whose floor rises and falls with its frequent eruptions.

Since 1969, there have been lots of eruptions from a parasitic lava shield in Mauna Ulu ("Growing Mountain"), which is on Kilauea's east rift zone. The rift zone is essentially a big crack from which 2,000-degree lava pours out. Most of this lava flows unseen to the sea through lava tubes beneath the surface.

Kilauea's eruptions tend to be of the "quiet" kind, which makes it surprisingly approachable. However, more vigorous eruptions can and do occur. At times (but not since 1986), gas pressure creates fire-fountains, great curtains of molten rock spewing as high as 1,800 feet into the air.

The most recent episode of lively activity began Saturday, March 5, when the Pu'u 'O'o crater floor collapsed and dropped nearly 380 feet. A fissure then opened in the east rift zone and began erupting lava intermittently, with some of the lava spattering nearly 100 feet high. To get a glimpse of this activity, which has been dubbed the Nāpau Fissure Eruption, check out the Park Service video at this site.

The Nāpau Fissure Eruption, which was quickly spotted by a helicopter crew, is situated west-southwest of Pu'u 'O'o in a remote area of the rift zone. Though not close to the park's most popular visitor sites, the eruption still poses risks to the public. One problem is harmful gasses released into the atmosphere. The new eruption is emitting around 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide gas a day, which is far above the norm at the park. Winds can carry this sulfur dioxide and other harmful fumes (in a smoggy mix called VOG) into visitor areas at considerable distances.

Harmful gasses are not the only hazard, nor even necessarily the most dangerous. Areas near the vent can erupt or collapse without warning, endangering hikers or other visitors in the vicinity. Risks to visitors extend all the way to the coastal cliffs (pali) and beaches, where fluctuating lava flows and earthquakes can cause tubes, benches, ledges, beaches, and other landforms to collapse without warning.

Park officials moved quickly to protect the public. Among the facilities and areas closed until further notice are:

• Chain of Craters Road
• A portion of Crater Rim Drive near the Chain of Craters Road junction
• All east rift zone and coastal trails, and
• The campground at Kulanaokuaiki.

This is not a complete listing of the closures. For comprehensive, up to date information about existing and pending closures, visit this site.

Incident Command System (ICS) was put into effect at the park and is now operating out of the park’s new Visitor Emergency Operations Center.

For Kilauea Status Reports, Updates, and Information Releases, visit this USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) site. HVO has also installed a webcam that shows live views of the Nāpau Crater. To see these images, which are updated every five minutes, visit this site.

Comments

I got a permit and hiked the Napau Trail last October to the campsite overlooking Napau Crater, I could just see Pu'u O'o smouldering away in the distance and the trail was closed any further, seems like it's got even more active!


I looked at the video clip of the fissure and found it awesome.
I have visited Hawaii on two occasions in the past and my next visit will positively include a trek to one of the volcanos.
The people of Hawaii are blessed with a very powerfull aspect of nature right in their own back yard.
To be privy to such an awesome display of the earths inner core rumblings is incredible.
The scientific data gathering possibilities are enormous.
Those involved in the observations of Kilauea must absoloutely be ecstatic.
To all the volcanologists who are seeing this epic event, enjoy.

Leonard G. Block
Winlaw British Columbia
Canada


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.