Videographer Mick Kalber posted the following video he took on Thursday, May 31, 2018, on an overflight of the East Rift Zone with Paradise Helicopters.
Kilauea Volcano’s current Leilani Estates Flow on the Big Island of Hawaii near Pahoa continues to stretch toward Kapoho and the Pohoiki/Hot Pond area toward the Pacific Ocean. Pele is sending a humongous flow to the northeast, past the geothermal, pouring hot rock into the Noni Farms Road area above Kapoho. And the huge river breached it’s deep channel this morning to send another new flow over the banks near the top of Pohoiki Road.
The multi-pronged flow front is ripping it’s way through the Noni Farms Road area, and heading toward Green Mountain. It’s unclear whether she will pass to the north or south of the large green cinder cone… she may even head toward the ocean to the north. Numerous flows that have made their way toward the Pohoiki/Hot Pond area have stopped short. One came within a half mile of the ocean before it stalled out.
A new outbreak from Fissure 22 upslope is trying once again to make it’s way to the area… time will tell if it can make it. Hundreds of structures have now been claimed by her devastating flows… and she’s obviously far from finished. But Pele has stopped sending her molten rock into the ocean just southwest of Pohoiki… only dry riverbeds from the absent flows that fed the entry are visible now. Lava fountaining continues from Fissures 7 & 8 in the middle of Leilani Estates… our estimate is that lava is shooting 300-400 feet high, issuing red hot liquid rock at an unbelievable rate.
The huge flow from this fissure has passed the PGV Geothermal plant below the subdivision, and a new flow progressing toward the facility yesterday has stalled. Pele has not worked her way up the rift any further, in spite of many cracks which have developed at Nohea, Kupono and near Pomaikai. Much of the activity elsewhere on the flow field has somewhat given way to the gigantic Fissures 7 & 8, which are truly a spectacular sight! Pohoiki Road, Highway 132 and 137 have all been covered with lava… but Highway 130 is still open as of this writing.
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