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Morganlady, You're correct that for the last thirty years Pele has been content to stay mostly within the national park. If you look at any map of lower Puna however, you'll find several lava flows within the last hundred years that would impact thousands of people in developed areas today. Shield volcanos typically degass by oozing lava through rifts (cracks) in their flanks. Kilauea's east rift extends from the summit to the sea off Kapoho. As studied as Kilauea is, the only thing scientists understand about the future of this eruption, is that it's going to keep oozing lava. The good news is that this type of degassing doesn't usually include violent or dangerous pyroclastic episodes like a Mt St. Helen's. Enjoy life on the rift, but my advice has always been to prepare yourself for interuptions in services, and to live as sustainably as possible.
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quote:
...Kilauea's east rift extends from the summit to the sea off Kapoho. As studied as Kilauea is, the only thing scientists understand about the future of this eruption, is that it's going to keep oozing lava. The good news is that this type of degassing doesn't usually include violent or dangerous pyroclastic episodes like a Mt St. Helen's. Enjoy life on the rift, but my advice has always been to prepare yourself for interuptions in services, and to live as sustainably as possible.
This is it exactly! Years ago when Kehena was cut off from by one route - there was no phone no DSL no services at all before the lava so except for the fact that people had to drive from Poohiki along Red Road or cut through the yard right near the end of Red Road - no one got very excited. I think we have grown too used to going to Hilo for Home Depot and Wal Mart so it is much scarier now to think of being cut off.
But it seems that Pele was just reminding us that she is here and alive! The flow seems to have stopped advancing for now!
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Hi Everyone. This is my first post, however I have been reading the posts on your site for months.I am finally coming over to look at a home I want to buy so I can move over with my adult son. I met a gal yesterday who was visiting CA from Oahu who told me if I buy this house which is near Pahoa, it might not be there next year because of the newest issues with the volcano. Okay, so I am very nervous, but need to hear from you, the ones living there. She also stated that there is a lot of ash and can affect breathing ! UGH...she is sure trying to paint a dreary pic for me. Any input would be helpful. Thanks!
SRICCI
SRICCI
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sricci, You should leave California as fast as possible. An earthquake, flood, bank, terrorist, gangbanger, or illegal alien may take your property at any time. A slow moving lava flow is quite attractive in comparison.
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quote:
A slow moving lava flow is quite attractive in comparison.
True Dat, Greg!
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You've got that right ! I'm on my way!
SRICCI
SRICCI
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SRICCI - the issues of moving to the pahoa area are many with regards the volcanic and associated dangers (earthquakes) that you can expect to have as a part of your life that, if not effecting you and your home directly, will at least be in your awareness now and then.
a few facts... the pahoa area is in the puna district, and almost all of the puna district is essentially the east side of kilauea volcano. a major feature of kilauea volcano is its east rift zone. this is a linear zone, approximately one mile wide that runs from the volcanoes summit to kapoho, and beyond out into the sea. pahoa is less than two miles from the east rift zone. the east rift zone is by definition the area on the volcanoes flank where it is understood that volcanic eruptions are possible.
a study of the ages of kilauea lava flows reveal that for the most part the entire volcano covers itself once ever one thousand years. for more information there is an article in this weeks volcano watch that goes into detail about the dating of rocks on kilauea. if every surface on the whole volcano is covered in new lava every one thousand years, everyone living on kilauea volcano is living in a volcanically hazardous area. I believe that any realtor worth his/her salt would be sure that any perspective buyers of properties in the puna district has this information presented to them during the disclosure process.
besides having a vent open up and beginning to erupt in your backyard, a possibility that some people just south and east of pahoa live with, the whole district is within the reach of the lava flows that issue from these vents. up until recently the area that has been erupting has been sending lava flows for the most part down the mountains flank and into the ocean in an area with relatively few peoples lives in the way. recently this has changed and the downhill direction that the lava must take if it continues to erupt from these vents is eventually into developed property, with a much higher concentration of homes etc., as well as cutting the one major highway that services 10's of thousands of people who's homes would not be directly effected by the lava itself, but none-the-less their lives will be altered considerable. this would be you if you were to be living in pahoa.
the history of the current eruption, it started in 1983, is that when erupting continuously it puts out an average of one half of one million cubic meters of lava a day. this sounds like a lot, and if you look at the hvo web cam of the current eruption, or the pictures that are being posted on the hvo web site of this eruption, it sometimes looks very impressive. if you spend a bit of time acquainting yourself with the maps they but up you will note that the actual amount of new ground that is covered in any given period of time is relatively small. especially when you look at how far from the current vent the lava would have to go before this event actually became a crisis
another issue with living on an active volcano is that we have the greatest environmental polluter imaginable. kilauea puts out tons of gases per day that some people have adverse reactions to. the pahoa area has not had as bad of a time with this, at least in comparison with those in the glenwood and volcano areas. but, if the lava flows do find their way down the hill there will some degradation of air quality due to the gases that escape from the lava and smoke from the burning forest etc.
and of course we have earthquakes, and occasionally they are very big, as in the kapalana earthquake of 1975 which changed the shoreline of the puna district dramatically. but for the most part over the years we have 4's and 5's pretty regularly.
there is a lot of issues to consider. if you want the ground to be nice and stable, your mountains to give you the sense that they will always be there to grace your horizons, then living on an active volcano may not suit. but on the other hand, if you are like many, striving for a path that takes you closer to nature, closer to the nature within, then living on kilauea, learning to feel and appreciate all of her moods, and incorporate them into your own, may be just the ticket
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Hey chunky i spent much of the day floating in either a fish filled tidal pool or my own blue tiled pool staying aware got me here my romantic outlook pulls me to beauty and drama ergo puna where i see both not blind to or blithe about either my lilikoi margaritas are the best my secret is lotsa tequila less lilikoi so if u want some hit me up quick by the way r u gonna eat that
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dakine: Thank you so much for the information, very direct, very informative. It certainly hasn't changed my desire to move there. I have booked my trip and will be there next week to check things out and looking forward to it. Thank You Again.
SRICCI
SRICCI
SRICCI
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Jim Kauahikaua of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has just created a new report 'Lava Flow Hazard Assessment, as of August 2007, for Kīlauea East Rift Zone Eruptions, Hawai‘i Island' with more detailed maps and details of potential future hazards.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1264/of2007-1264.pdf
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1264/
Steve & Regina
Hawaiian Acres / North Lake Tahoe
'If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there' - George Harrison
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