Images of Halema`uma`uma from Sat, 4-25

[Carey]

Just wanted to share some of the image that we took on Sat. night
ETA: I updated with a slide show 'movie':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLhjc7PolHo&feature=youtu.be

or:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o8ark9fexs6cr0...y.mov?dl=0

the images are in this Dropbox file:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dk5vwr78cl022...aVoVa?dl=0

[TomK]

Thanks, Carey, what a sight! I was working Saturday and Sunday night and kept watching the HVO overlook cams. I couldn't believe how close the lava came to the top of the vent without actually spilling over into the crater floor. Looking at the same cams this evening, the lava lake seems to have dropped a few feet, but not much. Late last night, you couldn't make out the rim in the thermal images, the lava was so close to the top of the vent.

[TomK]

Watching the HVO cams right now (but I need to sleep) and the level of the lava lake is right back up there. Given this only happens at night my conclusion is that Kilauea is contracting during the cooler night time hours but the lava flow, being the same temperature it always is, just stays where it is. []

[Carey]

Have no idea on the mechanics, (and after quite a few 'Volcano Talks' would not eve want to hazard a guess on how those things work!) ...but did see some very high level images on the web cam both Sun & Mon during the day...Sunday was an "Oh man..we missed the best!" but I think this might be a while...

I have also been tuning into Pu`u O`o more...& it has been looking like the crater floor is up near the rim (but that may just be an optical illusion & have not seen it really clear there...so...

[dakine]

Given this only happens at night my conclusion is that Kilauea is contracting during the cooler night time hours but the lava flow, being the same temperature it always is, just stays where it is.

Actually Tom, in this particular case the tilt (which indicates inflation/deflation of the magma storage areas beneath the caldera), as recorded at the summit UWEV station, and plotted here:

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/deformation.php

took a bit of a dip in the time period you are referring to. It dropped a bit yesterday afternoon and rose again last night, and was clearly seen in the lake level fluctuation. You are right that there is a diurnal effect that is recorded but is much too small to be seen in the fluctuation of the lake's level or the plot at the scale it is showing at the moment.

[Chas]

Thanks Carey. Nice to see for those of us who don't live there yetÉ sigh

[VancouverIslander]

Tom, have you checked the position of the moon during the higher levels? Could be some kind of tidal effect.

Just call me Mike

[dakine]

have you checked the position of the moon during the higher levels? Could be some kind of tidal effect

As I point out above the diurnal effect is insignificant to the changes we're observing at the summit lava lake and those reflected in the tilt. And, those are changes caused by the Sun, which in essence are heat and gravity, whereas I believe the Moon has an effect but a much smaller one than the Sun.

This reminds me of a research proposal that was received back in the mid 80's where a 'scientist' wanted a grant to come out to the observatory (HVO) in order to study the effect that space shuttle launches were having on the eruptions. At that time Puu Oo was erupting on average once every three weeks and the writer reported having found a correlation between the shuttle launches and the eruptions. Needless to say he didn't get funded.

[TomK]

Just checked the HVO webcams. The thermal camera is interesting. I think the lava lake has started to spill over the edge of the vent.

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cams/panorama.php?cam=HTcam

[macuu222]

According to harry's site....it's at the rim. Unfortunately they don't have equipment set to measure if it goes over the rim.

http://harrysserver.com/lava.html