Big Island: The Recent Volcanic Activity

I have been to the Big Island of Hawaii many times. But very recently it is on the news a lot because of the recent volcanic eruption and the earthquakes. Some of the images can be scary and may be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing, but I am geologist, and a major Kilauea eruption is an opportunity of a lifetime for some of us.

Kilauea is the youngest volcano on the Island of Hawaii, which is also known as the Big Island. As most hawaiian volcanoes go, Kilauea is fairly flat, and doesn't look dominating like the conventional volcano picture that you might have in your mind:

This is the Topographic map of the Kilauea Crater and the current active lava lake of Halemaumau:

As you can see from this google map topography rendering that the slope of this volcano is gentle. Gentle like the Hawaii most of us are familiar with. Recently, there is a rise of activity of the Kilauea volcano, both from the summit and as well as from the east rift zone. It is the east rift that is responsible for some of the spectacular images by USGS of lava flows spewing into the residential areas.

I have visited the east rift zone many time during the time of calm. It is this spectacular geological active landscape where the lavas meet the ocean and area of active normal faulting and fault scarps. What interest me also is how quickly vegetation returns to active lava fields:

Most of the current activity is from this rift zone further to the east. There are areas of there where people can visit active Lava field like this one:

Yes, you can actually walk on lava. It forms a crust very quickly as it come in contact with air. So its hard enough to walk on. But there will be liquid molten lava underneath and you will be able to feel and hear it :)

Now a special note to my friend @ackhoo.

No AC! My shoes didn't catch fire, but I do like your idea. I look forward to test the workflow you described for me when I visit this place again in late June :)

For some interactive Kilauea related information you can visit the USGS status monitoring page.

And this one.

Disclaimer: All photographs are my own. Just ask me please if you like to use and share; citing the source is fine.

Most of the links in this post belongs to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). I am neither affiliated nor paid by them. All the USGS data is in public domain.