Mauna Loa erupting

[randomq]

I predict the lava will take out the western and southern sides of the protest encampment, but leave the Mauna Kea access road intact as a clear message from God that astronomy is cool.

[Or1on]

git..

I love it. Thanks for the trip to the dictionary.

That's why the fire engine stalled.

[ironyak]

Gave the lava viewing route a try - credit given where credit is due - the county, state, PTA, et al, came together in a matter of days to provide a better alternative than even the views from Saddle. Pretty busy, but many openings for parking as you go and the last stretch puts you on level so you can see all the way from flow front to fissure (clouds and fog variably blocking or enhancing the view - was totally fogged in with not even a glow visible when we arrived, but broke up quickly making for some impressive interplays of light and clouds, and then cleared up almost entirely shortly afterwards).

Also would agree that it appears this eruption is going to be short lived (no progression down rift, small number of fissures, limited output, etc) OR it will block Saddle and/or this Old Saddle lava viewing route in the coming week(s) so give it go while you still can if interested!

[Durian Fiend]

Flow advancement has slowed to 25 ft/hr according to last update

[TomK]

Thanks for the typo check

"300 years to the north" is not a typo.

This isn't the era of the 1968 Smith Corona typewriter. 
This is the era of Android, iOS and auto spell correction algorithms, where a typo can yield a completely unintended word result. 
Pull your head out of the past Tom K and please stop playing spell checker, the auto spell correctors are already enough a pain in the ass as it is... No one needs your arrogant incompetence to compound the issue. 
We all know it was intended as yards. And for those that didn't, lord help them.

Where did the 300 come from? I didn't write that. Years, yards, fine, maybe a spell checker thing.

[Chas]

Went out tonight. Only the flow field was visible. The rest was shrouded in clouds. No view of the fountain at all. I wanted to get out before the sides of the cinder cone got too high to see the fountain.

BTW, the best view is towards the end of the viewing rd. Look for a large cinder cone on your left, then start looking for a place to pull over. It's pretty good for the next 1/4 to 1/2 mile or so. Of course you run the risk of not finding a place but tonight there were plenty. Seems like most of the people stopped at the beginning of the road, but the topography is much better towards the end.

[TomK]

git..

I love it. Thanks for the trip to the dictionary.

That's why the fire engine stalled.

We have ironyak, MyManao, and Kane ganging up because I asked a reasonable question about building the DKI in an area where lava could pool. Now Or1on joins in.

What fire engine? How does this relate to anything?

[Wao nahele kane]

It seems to me that if you are intent on putting a road through an area that is prone to lava flows, in a lot of cases it would be best to put it right on top of the most recent flow.  Especially in flat, level areas.

In these areas the flow tends to inflate and reach substantial thicknesses.  So wouldn’t a subsequent flow tend to go alongside the previous one, rather than on top of it?

I know there are plenty of variables and these are just my ramblings, but don’t you think there might be more to the decision than “easier to grade”?

Perhaps it would have been even more sensible to have built the new highway a few hundred yards to the north in the most vulnerable area to ML lava flows, i.e., just a little way up on the slopes of Mauna Kea? I realize that might be private land, but building a modern highway where lava would pool near the MK and ML access roads could have been avoided.

I fully agree with you on this, Tomk. They should have built the highway above the union of ML and MK up on the flank of MK. But, I suppose when the federal government will be there to pay for the road replacement after the "disaster" declaration, rationalized planning isn't neccesary. 

I don't agree in a later post where you claimed the word years in the place of yards wasn't a possible typo as indeed a typo can trigger a spell correction algorithm to enter an unintended word. 300 is from a direct forum reply display from your previous post, so, yes, you did relay ""300..."... Unless it was a malevolently based manifestation caused by an auto spell correction algorithm via an unintended typo you made. ?

[Obie]

Lucky that Dan got this road built with defense funds.

[AaronS]

The reasons why the DKI was constructed over the 1843 and 1935 lava flows by Puu Huluhulu is two fold. They wanted to keep the alignment within the existing right of way so HHL homesteads wouldn't be impacted and lessen the environmental impact. The latter is largely the reason  most of the rest of the highway followed the existing alignment.

There is exceptions to this though:

m.m 35-41 was realigned to bypass the PTA cantonment area
m.m 41-51 was realigned to largely avoid the PTA's west side training area
m.m 29-35 was realigned to move the highway out of the PTA's firing range.

The latter segment required the Federal government to establish new Palila nesting areas on the northwest
side of Maunakea to make up for the lost habitat between m.m 29-35.