New Map Released Shows Active Ocean Entries

The U.S. Geological Survey released this map as of 12 noon, Friday, June 8, 2018.

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Given the dynamic nature of Kīlauea’s lower East Rift Zone eruption, with changing vent locations, fissures starting and stopping, and varying rates of lava effusion, map details shown here are accurate as of the date/time noted. Shaded purple areas indicate lava flows erupted in 1840, 1955, 1960 and 2014-2015.

Around 3 a.m. Friday, June 8, lava fountains erupting from fissure 8 on Kīlauea Volcano’s Lower East Rift Zone were reaching heights of 180–220 feet.

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The Kapoho ocean entry (as of 6:30 a.m.), where the interaction of fissure 8 lava and seawater produces a white plume called “laze.”

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Laze is a mixture of condensed acidic steam, hydrochloric acid gas, and tiny shards of volcanic glass, and can be irritating to the lungs, eyes and skin.

HVO’s early morning helicopter overflight of Kīlauea’s lower East Rift Zone showed that lava continues to flow into the ocean in the vicinity of Kapoho Bay and Vacationland.

Outgassing from Halema‘uma‘u produced twin pillars that rose in the still morning air and merged into a towering cap above the summit of Kīlauea just after sunrise.

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Dramatic changes at Halema‘uma‘u could be seen through gases rising from the crater during HVO’s overflight of the summit this morning at 10 a.m.

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The view here looks to the southwest, with the former overlook parking lot barely visible to the left of the gas plume.