Smoke and vog

[Royall]

Dan, I'm not "too worried" right now.. At this point I don't think it will come this far north of Pahoa. That's my story and I'm stickin to it! LOL

[snorkle]

I wouldn't anticipate any problems re-connecting Chain of Craters Road. After all it was a highway once, and the right of way still exists(although at a slightly higher elevation).

After Royal Gardens was inundated, they briefly re-cut the highway to the subdivision. They stopped short of the Park border, and it was soon covered again. This is always a possibility.

It only took them a few days to re grade several miles of road. There's no need to pave it immediately; Just open it to connect Kalapana-Volcano-Hilo.

[islandlvng]

The very positive side to this story is that this is a very narrow flow. Lava is lava, yes I understand, but let us all be thankful this flow is not miles wide like it has been in past years.

The maps show it as very narrow also. If it continues on its current path, let us all hope it stays as narrow as it is now, if not smaller in width.

[TomK]

One or two people are asking about the difference between slow moving and fast moving and whether it's volcanologist speak. I don't know if some of you have seen videos of lava flows from Pu'u O'o before, but some of the lava flows from there are really fast, just like a really quick flowing river. The current one is much slower, a few hundred yards per day.

I'm pretty sure that's the definition HVO are using although I'll admit I don't know the threshold between fast moving and slow moving. For me, fast moving means you can't run away from it, slow moving means you can. When it comes to the June 27th flow, I think it's certainly the latter.

Edited - PW didn't like my attempt at at using the Hawaian name for Pu'u O'o with accents.

[bananahead]

'fast moving flow' would be measured in miles per hour...

ie Mauna Loa's 1950 Honokua flow!
the 1950 Mauna Loa Honokua flow, started at about the 10,000' level of SW flank and after crossing hwy11 reached the sea 2 miles south of where Ho'okena Beach Park is now, in only 3 hours.... A distance of 15 miles/3 hours = 5 MPH!

or more related to out current flow in steepness and direction of flow... the 1840 Puna flow that went the same way as the current flow, it started farther west than where Pu'u O'o is now (at where Mauna Ulu is now), and made it to the ocean on the east side of Puna just south of where Hawaiian Beaches/Honolulu Landing is now, in only 5 days!... about 3 miles/day

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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[bluesboy]

The 1840 flow made it that far via a series of propagating fissures, not a continuous lava flow.