For volcano watchers - maybe you'll get lucky! {Kilauea may be erupting}

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
101

It was in the description earlier. I don’t see it there anymore.

102

I think it’s stopped. USGS has downgraded Kilauea to Orange/Watch status.

103

You can see the last night’s eruption on this time lapse from camera KOcam.

104

Pathetic !
Come on Pele, get your act together !

105

No, it is still ongoing as I write. But the location is so remote that it doesn’t present much of a threat, hence the downgrade. (But it could stop at any time - for all I know, when you read this it will be over.)

Meanwhile, USGS did a fly-over and got some good film of the eruption. No need to watch past the first few seconds when they fly over the active eruption - after that, it’s all just fumes.

106

Here we go again - lots of shallow quakes indicating magma moving toward the surface, and the advisory level has been raised from yellow to orange.

We’ll see what, if anything, happens this time. I’m not holding my breath.

Here is the latest USGS notice, in full:

HVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice

Volcano: Kilauea (VNUM #332010)

Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Previous Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY

Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Previous Aviation Color Code: YELLOW

Issued: Tuesday, July 23, 2024, 4:06 AM HST
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2024/H178
Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min
Elevation: 4091 ft (1247 m)
Area: Hawaii

Volcanic Activity Summary:

Kīlauea is not erupting. Increased earthquake activity and ground deformation at Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone began at approximately 3:30 a.m. HST on July 23, 2024, indicating the likely movement of magma in the subsurface. Accordingly, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is raising the Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards from ADVISORY to WATCH and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE.

Earthquake activity is centered near Pauahi Crater. The situation is rapidly evolving, and, at this time, it is not possible to say with certainty if this activity will lead to an eruption; the activity may remain below ground. An eruption in Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is one potential outcome. It is not possible to say where such an outbreak may occur, but the area between Hiʻiaka crater and Maunaulu in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, is potentially at risk for a new lava outbreak based on past patterns of eruptive activity in this area. Past eruptions in this region of Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone, between Hiʻiaka crater and Maunaulu, occurred over hours to about a month. The location of any future outbreak will determine what areas could be in the path of new lava flows.

A map of past eruptive activity is available here: Volcano Watch — Cruising Chain of Craters Road: Recent earthquakes and past volcanism | U.S. Geological Survey.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a new Volcanic Activity Notice will be issued.

HVO is in close contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Temporary closures have been implemented as a result of this elevated activity: Chain of Craters Road and other areas closed as earthquakes increase in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park increase in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park - Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Hazards are present on Kīlauea and are described below. Residents and visitors should stay informed and follow County of Hawai‘i and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park guidelines.

For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, see https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes

107

Well, supposedly there is an eruption right now, and the notification I got an hour ago (pasted below) says it’s even increasing. But I looked at the webcam and didn’t see anything. It erupted briefly yesterday and stopped, so who knows.

Webcam: https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live

Notice:
HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY STATUS REPORT
U.S. Geological Survey
Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 5:55 AM HST (Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 15:55 UTC)

KILAUEA (VNUM #332010)
19°25’16" N 155°17’13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary: Kīlauea volcano is erupting near Makaopuhi Crater in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Eruptive activity increased this morning between 4:00 and 5:00 AM HST based on monitoring data from seismicity, infrasound, webcam imagery, and GOES satellite thermal imagery. There is no immediate threat to life or infrastructure. The Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remains at WATCH/ORANGE. All current and recent activity is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. No changes have been detected in the lower East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

Current eruptive activity began with a small eruption that occurred on September 15, 2024, on a remote section of the middle East Rift Zone in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, just west of Nāpau Crater as described here: September 16, 2024 —Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone eruption reference map | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov)

A reference map of the middle East Rift Zone, with past lava flow extents, is available here: Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone reference map | U.S. Geological Survey.

For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, see Volcanic alert-levels characterize conditions at U.S. volcanoes | U.S. Geological Survey.

HVO is continuing to closely monitor the middle East Rift Zone and is in contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency. Temporary closures have been implemented as a result of this elevated activity; please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service).

More Information:

108

It doesn’t look like there is a camera pointing in that direction currently.

109

Here is a better view:

As I type, it doesn’t look like much - it is believable that there is a bit of lava flowing where all the gas and steam is pouring forth, but to say it isn’t dramatic is an understatement.

It may be more interesting at night, when you can see the glow. That’s assuming the eruption continues - sometimes they are very short-lived.

110

I must have missed that cam. Thank you.

111

How do i get a live feed from that webcam ? It just looks like a static picture.

112

It’s a clunky version of a web cam that updates periodically - typically every five minutes although I don’t know the details of that particular camera. It is supposed to auto update on your computer screen but I have to refresh the page sometimes.

If you scroll down, there is a “past 24 hours” version of the scene, with 1 photo per hour.

113

Okay, I looked a few times and whatever it is doing, it is not updating very often. Maybe every hour or so? I don’t know.

114

The eruption has moved a little - this is now the recommended camera to look at (not much to see as I type, but maybe more interesting when it gets dark).

115

Hmm, still largely static - but it’s definitely an eruption !

116

The PW cam also has a good (But still static) view.

117

Despite the label “live,” all but one of the USGS webcams of Kīlauea currently offer “static” views that update regularly. Only the one you can watch on YouTube of Halema’uma’u crater is actual video (the current eruption is elsewhere so it’s not showing anything interesting at the moment).

But you can generally scroll down for all the webcams and see a “past 24 hours” slideshow of hourly photos with timestamps.

118

Here’s USGS footage of a flyover today. Best view starts around 2:15.

119

USGS just released a video on YouTube regarding the September 2024 eruption.

120

Fantastic eruption going on now (December 23; about 6:30am Hawaii time). Dunno how long it will last so watch ASAP: