June 27 Lava Flow Update – 12/14/14

Hawai’i County Civil Defense’s Sunday morning assessment shows that the front of the active June 27 lava flow continues to advance.

In the past 24 hours, the flow has advanced about 300 yards and currently remains 1.4 miles from the Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road intersection.

According to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s Sunday morning report, the flow remains on the path of steepest descent that will take the flow towards the intersection and in the vicinity of the Pahoa Marketplace.

In addition to the active leading flow front, officials continue to watch the breakout from the lava tube on Dec. 5. This lobe is about 1.6 miles from Puʻu ʻŌʻō and remains weakly active. Currently, the breakout is 0.6 miles long and has widened the flow field in the area by about 220 yards.

Neither flow is posing a current threat to communities in the area, but Civil Defense and HVO personnel continue to maintain close watch. Residents and businesses in the area will continue to be kept informed about any changes in the current activity.

Civil Defense recorded light smoke condition in the immediate area this morning, as a light north wind is blowing smoke in a south southeast direction. These conditions have the possibly of increasing and officials advise that individuals who have a history of respiratory issues take precaution and remain indoors.

The tilt trend at Puʻu ʻŌʻō is essentially flat and all other monitoring data indicate no significant changes at Puʻu ʻŌʻō, according to HVO. Additionally, seismic tremor has been low and steady, and HVO webcams have revealed that no strong variations are occurring in the pattern of glow from degassing vents or the configuration of the crater floor.

At the summit, a deflationary tilt began around 2 a.m., following a slight increase in tilt. HVO says the summit lava lake showed the usual fluctuation associated with changes in spattering behavior, which are also seen as variations in tremor amplitudes.

Pahoa Village Road continues to remain open, however, motorists are advised to use care when driving in the area as some of the protection materials remain on utility poles along the road.

In addition, officials ask the public to respect the residents in the area who were affected by the lava and remind people that trespassing onto public property is not permitted.