Hawai'i Volcano Blog

Volcano Overflight: Black Sand Beach Continues to Grow

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Jake Shimabukuro’s 6-8 from the album Nashville Sessions.

“A marvelously active lava lake, a variety of gorgeous pahoehoe flows oozing above, on, and below the Pali, an ever-expanding ocean entry lava delta and a black sand beach growing rapidly!” exclaimed Tropical Visions Video photographer and videographer Mick Kalber at 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, after a Paradise Helicopters’ overflight of lava from Kīlauea Volcano.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō was accessible, but barely, Kalber said.

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“Pilot Robert Mitchell was able to get us through the rain showers to Pele’s vigorously spattering lava lake—but only for a few minutes—then the sulphurs and rain chased us away!”

The 61g surface flows are still creeping over the Pali and have now traveled about a half-mile toward the Pacific Ocean.

“Pele’s molten lava continues to pour into the ocean at Kamokuna,” said Kalber, “her flows rapidly rebuilding the bench.”

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The black sand beach to the southwest is now about a half mile long, said Kalber.

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