Lower East Rift Zone Activity Continues

The U.S. Geological Survey released these pictures and video on Saturday, May 26, 2018.

An aerial view, looking west, of the two active ocean entries on Kīlauea Volcano’s lower East Rift Zone.

The white plume, referred to as “laze,” is a mixture of condensed acidic steam, hydrochloric acid gas, and tiny shards of volcanic glass that can irritate lungs, eyes and skin. Click to enlarge. (USGS Photo)

The large white plume (foreground) is the eastern ocean entry; the weaker, western plume can be seen in the distance.

Aerial view of fissure 22 looking toward the south.

Click to enlarge. (USGS Photo)

Fissure 22 continues to erupt lava that is flowing southeast to the coast and entering the ocean.

This ‘a‘ā flow, erupted from fissures 7 and 21, was approximately 3–4 meters (yards) high at the flow front and slowly advancing to the northeast in the Leilani Estates subdivision around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 26, 2018.

Click to enlarge. (USGS Photo)

Fissure 8, one of the westernmost active fissures on Kīlauea Volcano’s lower East Rift Zone, reactivated during the overnight hours of May 25-26, with chaotic bursts of gas and lava spatter. A mini-spatter cone (far right) near fissure 8 was also constantly active.