Kilauea Lava Update – 6/18/15

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that inflation at the summit of Kilauea began to slow Wednesday afternoon, leading to deflation that was first recorded by tiltmeters in the area at 1 a.m. Thursday morning.

In coordination with the stable slowing turned deflation, HVO says the lava lake within the Overlook crater dropped to about 148 feet below the Halema’uma floor.

Spattering and gas release within the Overlook crater caused abrupt changes in the circulation patterns occurring within the lava lake early Thursday. HVO reports that bursts of seismic tremor that is associated with vigorous spattering continues.

For the week ending on June 16, sulfur dioxide emission rates at the summit of Kilauea were measured to be between 3,000 and 6,000 tonnes/day.

Below Kilauea’s summit and Puʻu ʻŌʻō, seismic levels remain at background levels.

There have been no significant changes in tilt at Puʻu ʻŌʻō.

HVO scientists continue to monitor the June 27 lava flow through webcam imagery. The images provide evidence that breakouts continue to occur about 5 miles to the northeast of Puʻu ʻŌʻō.