Mauna Loa (Hawaii) update: renewed summit inflation

Hawaii Volcano Observatory ^ | 03/19/2003

[cogitator]

Current Activity

"0615 March 18, 2003 No change at Mauna Loa on this windy Tuesday. A small blip on the tiltmeter record (see plot) on February 15 was probably related to the accumulation of snow during a storm the day before. It approximately coincides, however, with the start of renewed inflation of the summit. We now have enough data of high quality (corrected for final satellite orbits, a process that takes two weeks at JPL from the time of data acquisition) to be confident that the renewed extension indicated by the permanent, continuous GPS network across the summit caldera (Moku`aweoweo) is real. The network first showed definite lengthening of the line in late April or May 2002, and this was confirmed by uplift measured by GPS and ground tilt measured by several dry tilt stations. The summit expansion tailed off and perhaps stopped in mid-winter but has now resumed. We interpret the lengthening, uplift, and tilting to indicate resumed swelling of the magma reservoir within the volcano. Seismicity, however, remains low.

[cogitator]

Something to watch for; a Mauna Loa eruption is a true spectacle of nature. It's probably still at least a year away; probably longer, but you never know with volcanoes.

[laotzu]

It ought to be a big one. Wouldn't want to be riding my bike down the hill that day.

Thanks for the heads-up.

[Popof8]

Valcanoes are kind of like DemocRATs:

They're unpredictable;
They spew a lot of gas and hot air;
They pollute the environment;
They're destructive;
They serve no beneficial purpose;
As they spread their influence they kill living and productive things;
They're godless;
They'll burn their friends and supporters without conscience;
They get crusty when they're old;
They are dangerious to people and other living things;
They waste a lot of money on studies;
They're a natural disaster;
They create a lot of motion but fail to progress;
They create a lot of smoke to obscure their dangerious propensities;
They stink;
They can't be relyed upon;
People die because of their actions;
Animals die because of their actions;
Plants die because of their actions;
Virgins get sacrificed to them;
etc. etc. etc.

[DJtex]

I lived in Maui for a few years. Going to the Big Island to see the continuous eruption there is a primal experience. There's just no other way to describe it. Since 1983, Kilauea has been in continuous eruption. The Kilauea caldera is at the 4,100 ft. level on the flank of Mauna Loa, which is over 13,000 ft. high and is the largest volcano in the world.

Mauna Loa has been quiet since 1984, but it's erupted 33 times in the last 150 years. The experts say that's it's inevitable that all of Mauna Loa will be covered once again in lava. That's 65% of the Big Island.

[laotzu]

"a primal experience"

Prelude: another stupid houli-boy adventure
I lived in Hawaii during the late '80s & early '90s. My job, then, allowed my frequent visiting of all of the islands.

One job sent me to the big island for several days. From the start, I busted my but to free up some part of my final day there. I passionately wanted to see actual lava flowing out of Kiluea.

On that last day, with only 3 hours to spare, I jumped in my rental car and hauled-ass, off to find that lava. Without a second thought....like an idiot, I headed straight to the volcanoes summit. By the time I got there, it was dark(& damn cold). I was increasingly anxious to find that damned lava!

Coming around a turn, I spied far down through the jungle, the glimmering orange glow of what must, of course, be the lava. Hazaah!! I parked, & ran down some forest trail, in the pitch black of how night is on the summit.

It was not the glow of lava, as I had been so sure of. What I found was an ancient, fairly large & lengthy, lava tube. It had been strung with mercury-vapor lights for the tourists.

Although it took little more than ten minutes for me to reach 'the orange glow'; it was more than two hours of wandering the black jungle before I found my car again. It did give me time to think, though.

I remembered that I already knew that lava flows, except during full-blown volcanic erruptions, never surface at the actual crater. They always first reach the surface several miles distant, down the hill from, the volcanoe summit. In this case, I missed by more than 30 miles.

If it hadn't been for damn near freezing to death, I probably would have felt a bit embarrassed.

I was very happy to move to Hawaii. I was also very happy to move away.

[skinkinthegrass]

Virgins get sacrificed to them;..

Spewed Coffee...cleaning-up keyboard while... :)

[skeeter]

A couple of years back I visited the Kona side of Hawaii & was surprised to notice all the vapor - smog - coming off the side of Moana Loa. Not anything like the clear skies I remembered from before.

I was told that this smog, which is considered a health hazard, has really depressed real estate values on that side of the island.

[cogitator]

I was told that this smog, which is considered a health hazard, has really depressed real estate values on that side of the island.

The common term for it is "vog", short for volcanic smog. It's considerably worse than your everyday city smog, because it's got a lot more acid mixed in. Considering that this eruption of Kilauea has been going on for over 20 years now, I'm not surprised that the vog has depressed real estate values on that side of the island -- but I think that the actual destruction of many of the homes that were built that by the ongoing lava activity might have had something to do with it, too.

This used to be the Kalapana black-sand beach at Harry K. Brown State Park.

This is what it looked like when fresh lava covered the beach:

But there are new black sand beaches forming on the coast; they just don't have big palm trees behind them yet.

[skeeter]

Cool pictures. But unless I'm mistaken there haven't been any lava flows on the west side of the island for many years - just vog.

I took an flying tour our the island and got to see some volcanic activity from the air the last time I was there(the same tour had a fatal crash a few months later). Spectacular, if a little bumpy.

[skinkinthegrass]

...back in '66, I was 11 years old, we took the 4 hr. creater tour...real neat. BTW...houli, literal translation, please.

[laotzu]

"houli, literal translation, please"

Pronounced how-lee, it is a native reference to caucasians. I honestly don't know its literal translation, or even that there is one.

The majority of native Hawaians do not have a deep or thourough understanding of the language. The alphabet has 13 letters total; five of which are vowels.

[skinkinthegrass]

I think it means SOB... or something more revolting..We lived in HA for 4 yrs ('63-'67) in Pearl City, Hicham (sp?) AFB...sad to see, how run-down Honolulu looks...gone to the Liberals (Dogs)!