Volcano is Acting Up #3: Pele is Smoking!

[Kelena]

Hanohano Pele i ka ua nui!

Pele is smoking in bed and having fitful dreams! She came to me and spoke to me through the sound hole in my ukulele and said: Kelena, you must start a new thread where all of Puna can talk story and share mana’o on restricted access, on vog, and anything associated with my wakeful sleeping and my sleepy wakefulness, all in one thread! Hele on, for my spirit is returning from its sleep and the murmur of your voices calms me and allows my spirit to continue its dream travels and my body to rest.

We may share the excitement of living on Pele's flank, among the lehua and the ohia, here.

What does anyone make of the elevated SO2 levels?

This morning (3/4) HVO noted that the Royal Gardens flow is racing to the sea pretty rapidly. It has a very wide front. But it's the SO2 levels that I think are the most significant here, although googling doesn't tell me much about what they might mean. We do now that when volcanos ERUPT they emit tonnes of SO2, but it is unclear to me if SO2 emissions are an eruption predictor.

[honolulu]

Just returned from the end of the road...
We followed 2 Police Officers SUV's. They are only letting people go down about 1.5 miles. We were stopped by someone who had a UH Hilo shirt on. The mayor has decided not to close the road. There is a bulldozer widening the road and brush cutters on the way to make a new parking lot/helicopter landing pad. The lava has not yet overtaken the (old) parking lot. Lava was coming down the pali and some fires were spotted. Pretty exciting stuff!!!

[Big_Island]

Great News!
Thanks for the Update!

Awesome....

[mella l]

Thought it would be nice to link this to each new hot lava thread, for the latest status report!

http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/hvostatus.php

Seems the alert level has now changed to

Alert Level WATCH - Aviation Color Code ORANGE

Sounds scary enough to me, and Glen is hearing voices? That sounds like code red ya?

mella l

[Loretta]

We were out there this morning also. The two police officers were leaving just as we were heading in. At the parking lot at the end of the road were four or five "official" vehicles....one of them being a Civil Defense vehicle. All of the personel from the vehicles had hiked out onto the old lava flow and were watching the advancing lava. There were several helicopters overhead. We did not venture out onto the old lava flows. We were not wearing appropriate shoes or long pants. Really wish we had brought our binoculars! The advancing lava is VERY close to the parking/turnaround lot. Fascinating...but creepy.

[Kelena]

Where is the is parking turnaround lot?

[macuu222]

I believe its at the end of the trail/road which starts at the end of the highway.

[Loretta]

The parking lot is at the end of the mostly one lane gravel road that has been cut through where the lava covered HWY. 130. Before all of the changes in the flow, this is where tour vans would park and hike folks in from the Kalapana side of the flow.

[marcia]

Aloha all,

I am interested in reading about Hawaiian volcano eruptions that happened in the 1800's and early 1900's. I would especially be interested in eye witness accounts from those who were actually there. Any recommendations???

Thanks.

Marcia

ps Glen could write the perfect eye witness account of a volcano eruption. It definetly would be a best seller![]

[Kapohocat]

We were out there just before sunset! It was awesome. But yes, it was a traffic jam. Looks like CD is getting ready to close it off for real very soon.