2018 Kilauea Eruption

You may have been hearing about Hawaii on the news recently for a spectacular series of events unfolding in our Puna district and our Volcanoes National Park: Kilauea, youngest child of the Hawaiian hotspot and the most active volcano on earth, has begun a new eruptive event.

PLEASE BE AWARE: this entire sequence of events occupies a corridor roughly 25 miles long by 1 mile wide, or 25 square miles of an island with a total area of over 4,000 square miles. There is still plenty of Hawaii Island to see and enjoy. Arnott’s Lodge is over 25 miles from these events and rests on ancient lava flows from a different volcano. This kind of activity is not unusual for Kilauea. You can see in the map below in purple the locations of past lava flows. Residents of Hawaii Island are continuing their lives here and we still welcome visitors.

On April 30th, the Pu’u ‘O’o vent which had been releasing pressure from Kilauea since 1983 collapsed, pushing lava into underground chambers and setting off a chain of earthquakes. This lava has made its way along the East Rift Zone to a subdivision in lower Puna called Leilani Estates, where it is emerging from the earth in a number of fissures. In some cases, the lava fountains hundreds of feet skyward, and in others, it oozes across the land, swallowing everything in its path. To date, more than 600 structures have been destroyed, and the eruption is showing no sign of coming to an end.

Timeline of events:

April 23rd: USGS reported an intrusion of magma into Kilauea’s system, raising the level at the main vent, Pu’u ‘O’o, and causing the lava lake at Kilauea’s summit to overflow onto the floor of Halema’uma’u crater. A series of earthquakes begins.
April 30th: the floor of the crater at Pu’u ‘O’o collapsed, pushing lava further down the rift zone and creating a large plume of red ash.
May 1st-2nd: Cracks began to appear on the roadways in Leilani Estates, more than 10 miles from Pu’u ‘O’o.
May 3rd: a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck the south flank of Kilauea, and the first fissure opened up in Leilani Estates, spewing lava into the air and prompting the evacuation of the subdivision’s residents.
May 4th: a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit around 11:30 a.m., followed an hour later by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake; the most powerful quake in over 40 years.
May 13th: A total of 18 fissures have emerged, covering over 117 acres in lava and causing the destruction of at least 36 structures. Due to the possibility of steam-driven explosions at the summit of Kilauea, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has decided to close as a precautionary measure.
May 17th: An explosive eruption occurred at the summit of Kilauea at 4:17 a.m., propelling small boulders into the air immediately surrounding the caldera, and creating a plume containing steam and ash. Some areas near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park experienced a light dusting of ashfall. Several new fissures have opened in the Lower East Rift Zone, bringing the total number of fissures to 21.
May 20th: Fissure #22 is producing a faster-moving pahoehoe lava flow that reaches the ocean south of Pohoiki, producing a laze plume.
May 29th: A fast-moving pahoehoe flow from Fissure 8 has cut off Pohoiki Road. Multiple “small” ash explosions have occurred by now at the summit of Kilauea, causing ashfall in Pahala, Volcano, and Ka’u. Reports have been made of Pele’s Hair falling in Pahoa. (Pele’s Hair is sharp, thin strands of volcanic glass fibers that are carried about on the wind.) By the end of the day, the lava flow had also crossed Highway 132. Residents of Noni Farms Road and Hale Kamahina Road were advised to evacuate immediately.
May 30th: Work begins on Chain of Craters Road as an evacuation route through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in case Highway 130 is also cut off by lava. Residents of Wa’a Wa’a, Kapoho, Government Beach Road, and Vacationland are advised to evacuate.
June 3rd: a large flow from Fissure 8 has vaporized Green Lake, the largest freshwater lake on the island of Hawaii. The lake is completely filled with lava.
June 4th: Lava flow from Fissure 8 made its way through Kapoho Beach Lots and entered the ocean in the early morning hours. A huge number of homes have been inundated by the lava flow in this area.
June 7th: The lava flow has filled in Kapoho Bay completely, destroying Vacationland, most of Kapoho Beach Lots, and Wai Opae Tide Pools. The lava delta here is now 1.2 miles wide!
June 9th: It is estimated that Kilauea has spread more than 30 billion gallons of lava so far in the East Rift Zone, creating new land on the Big Island.
June 13th: Ash explosions continue at Kilauea’s summit. The caldera is experiencing massive changes due to the hundreds of earthquakes per day and the continued deflation. Fissure 8 continues to feed a large channelized flow into Kapoho.
August 6th: Activity is substantially diminished in Fissure 8. Some residual lava continues to feed flow margins farther down in the flow field.
August 14th: The LERZ eruption is considered on pause, as no activity other than a small pond of lava within Fissure 8 can be seen. Earthquakes have substantially diminished in frequency. It remains to be seen whether this is the end of this eruption or just a temporary lull.

View the updated map of fissures in Leilani Estates here.

In the past couple of months, there have been over 40,000 earthquakes! The majority of these have been too small for most people to feel. Earthquakes are to be expected in an event like this. Most of these earthquakes are directly related to magma moving within the volcanoes, accumulating in shallow reservoirs, or erupting at their summits or rift zones. (USGS.) Now that magma is on the move and forming new vents, we can definitely expect to keep registering them.

Geologists don’t currently know how long this event will last, or what the future looks like for Puna. If you’re planning on visiting Hawaii, please be assured that the majority of the state, and even the majority of the Big Island, is not under threat. The risk of lava flows and dangerous gasses is still limited to the East Rift Zone. Arnott’s Lodge is located in Hilo, and we are not in danger from this eruption. As conditions flux and change, we’ll keep you updated!

If you are interested in helping out those displaced by this eruption, please consider checking out some of the organizations that are dedicated to helping the Big Island, such as the Hawaii Rise Foundation, the Salvation Army Hawaii, Hope Services Hawaii, and Pu’uhonua O Puna.

Some valuable resources to keep track of current conditions:

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