Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 14.6: New ocean entry, 30 day info graphic and volcanoes as weather makers

Fissure 8 is still going strong

_{The lava flow that originated from Fissure 8 is entering the ocean at Kapaho Bay.
volcanoes.usgs.gov}

The flow advancing from Fissure 8 has now made ocean entry at Kapoho Bay. A robust channel is transporting lava all the way from the spattering fissure northeastward, along Highway 132, to the ocean. At the entry point, a laze plume was created that blowed inland, but as ceased quickly.

On the following to maps you can see the full extend of the lava flows. Note the extreme heat signature in the second image that retains to the full extend of the flow.

_{Top: lava flow map. Bottom: heat map of the Fissure 8 lava flow. Greyscale shows relative heat, brightest parts being the hottest.
volcanoes.usgs.gov}

At Fissure 8 itself, activity shows no sign of weakening. Although activity varies, overall the eruptions are as strong as ever. The USGS has shown a beautiful comparitative thermal image of the fountaining at Fissure 8 from May 30th and June 3rd. On those images it is clear that the lava fountains have gained height. During the activity, the erupting lava has build up a cone (called pu’u) downwind. The amount of material that is transported further downwind (e.g., the mentioned Pele’s hair) exceeds the size of this cone significantly, but it is still amazing to see how much can change in such a short time-span.

_{volcanoes.usgs.gov}

Nice Summary Info graphic from the USGS

It now has been thirty days since the eruptions at Kīlauea volcano started. For this occasion the USGS has published a beautiful graphic showing all facts surrounding the erupitons of the Kīlauea volcano.

_usgs.gov

Volcanoes, the weather makers

On their volcano facebook page, the USGS has published a neat little fact. It seems like the eruptions are now creating their own weather. Scientist form the Hawaiian Volcano observatory are starting to observe pyrocumulus clouds. The clouds are created by the eruption fissures all around the Leilani Estates. In other sources these phenomena are called flammagenitus clouds.

They are formed by intense heating of the air at the ground. The super heated air causes convection and quickly rises upwards until it reaches a point of stability. When moisture is present during this process, clouds are forming. Like normal clouds, the pyrocumulus clouds can create lightning, therefore representing a hazard. The difference is that the thunderstorms in pyrocumulus clouds are dry, meaning they do not occur in the presence of rain.

Generally, this type of cloud is observed above forest fires or associatd with large explosive eruptions. This instance shows that this type of phenomena can also be caused by fissures.

_{Pyrocumulus cloud near Fissure 8.
facebook/usgs}

Previous Posts

Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 1: Introduction
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 2: The Hawaiian Hotspot
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 3: A growing volcano
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 4: The Rejuvenation Stage
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 5: Evolution to Atolls and Seamounts
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 6: Mythology vs Geology
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 7: Recent eruptions
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 8: Volcano Monitoring
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 9: Predicting Eruptions
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 10: Volcanic Air Pollution
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 11: Volcanoes falling apart… from Landslides and Tsunamis
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 12: Benefits of Volcanoes
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 13: The Double Volcano Chain
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 14.1: Current eruption of Kīlauea
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 14.2: Update on the current eruption of Kīlauea
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 14.3: Ongoing eruption of Kīlauea
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 14.4: Lava from Kīlauea has reached the ocean
Hawaiian volcanoes - Part 14.5: Fissure 8 flow advancing

References

https://www.usgs.gov/news/k-lauea-volcano-erupts
https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/thirty-days-activity-k-lauea-volcano
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/status.html
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/multimedia_maps.html
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/multimedia_chronology.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammagenitus_(cloud)
https://www.facebook.com/USGSVolcanoes/
https://www.facebook.com/USGSVolcanoes/photos/a.984262971602264.1073741827.984239038271324/2045227485505802/?type=3&theater