Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Erupts

Above, a smoking Kilauea volcano crater during our approach by helicopter in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, COVID-19 has been slightly bumped from the news coming out of Hawaii.

The volcano has decided to erupt again.

From ABC News:

HONOLULU -- One of the most active volcanos on Earth is erupting on Hawaii's Big Island.

Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed Wednesday that an eruption has begun in Kilauea volcano's Halemaumau crater at the volcano's summit.

Webcam footage of the crater showed lava fountains covering the floor of the crater and billowing clouds of volcanic gas were rising into the air. The same area has been home to a large lava lake at various times throughout the volcano's eruptive past.

The eruption is not in an area with homes and is entirely contained within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

To read more, go here. 

California Having Foreshocks?

Today, I've been reading about swarms of earthquakes centered at and around Anza, California.

It is not too surprising since the state is overdue for a big one. They usually have a 20-year cycle. Two immediately come to mind: the Sylmar Earthquake in February 1971 and the Northridge Earthquake in January 1994.

California should have had a big one about 8 to 12 years ago, if the pattern held.

Could these be fore-shocks?

That's one thing I definitely don't miss about California, earthquakes.

National Parks Well Represented In Volcanic Threats List

Above, Lassen Peak (No. 11 overall, very high threat). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled a list of volcanic threats and many of them are in the national park system.

According to the National Park Traveler:

Have you visited Hawai'i National Park and gotten close to the Kīlauea Volcano, enjoyed Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park, climbed to the top of Lassen Peak in its namesake park, or hiked down to Crater Lake? If so, you've placed yourself in the midst of some of the country's most dangerous volcanoes in terms of the threats they pose, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 

The latest U.S. Geological Survey National Volcanic Threat Assessment, an update to the 2005 assessment, places volcanoes into five threat categories: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high.

The list includes:

• Mount Rainier National Park

• Crater Lake National Park

• Lava Beds National Monument

• Lassen Volcanic National Park

• Devils Postpile National Monument

• Death Valley National Park

• Sunset Crater National Monument

• Valles Caldera National Monument

• Yellowstone National Park

• Craters of the Moon National Monument

• Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

• Katmai National Park and Preserve

• Aniakchak National Monument

• Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

• Haleakala National Park

• El Malpais National Monument

• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Surprisingly, Crater Lake National Park is on the list as a "very high threat" at number 17.

To read more, go here. 

Lassen Peak Will Erupt, Maybe Not In Our Lifetime

Above, Lassen Peak. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Lassen Peak in Northern California erupted last 100 years ago. But it could erupt again, but probably not in our lifetime.

I visited Lassen Volcanic National Park last year during my Great American Eclipse trip.

An article on Lassen Peak has been posted by the Plumas County News.

They wrote:

It’s not a matter of if the area around Lassen Volcanic Center will erupt in the future, but when. 

That’s according to Dr. Michael Clynne, research geologist, and the most knowledgeable scientist on the Lassen Volcanic National Park area. “I’m the point person,” he said in a recent interview. 

That doesn’t mean Clynne is encouraging residents to pack their bags or plan evacuation routes immediately. Although volcanic activity is somewhat unpredictable, scientists who watch volcanoes distinguish between earth time and human time. What could mean soon in earth time might be 1,000 years, a long time in terms of the human race. 

New interest in potential activity at some of the Pacific coastal states’ volcanoes arose with the continuing activity at Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano and more recent eruptions at the Fuego Volcano in Guatemala. 

Three California volcanoes, including Mt. Shasta and Lassen Peak (also known as Mt. Lassen), and Long Valley Caldera near Mammoth, are listed at very high threat potential, according to scientists at the California Volcano Observatory (CalVO) in San Jose. CalVO is part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program, where Clynne is based. 

These three volcanoes are part of an 800-mile stretch of the West Coast, including California, which contains 13 volcanoes.

Above, Mount Shasta in Northern California. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

A View Inside Kilauea Volcano

Above, a view from a Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour of one of Kilauea's vent craters. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii's Big Island is still in eruption and the U.S. Geological Survey has flown a drone over one of the volcano's craters to get a look inside.

A four-minute video from the drone has been posted at Forbes.com.

Forbes.com reported:

The Halemaumau Crater at the summit of Kilauea Volcano has been rumbling nearly nonstop since May 3, when lava began erupting from a series of fissures in the shield volcano's nearby East Rift Zone. Subsidence, earthquakes and rockfalls are rapidly and dramatically reshaping the crater itself and this week the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory sent a drone over the crater for a closer look.

To see the video and to read more, go here. 

The Big Island Blows!

Above, approaching a Kilauea lava vent by helicopter. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Big Island of Hawaii got shook today by a 6.9 earthquake at the Kilauea volcano.

Yahoo! News reported:

Los Angeles (AFP) - A magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook Hawaii's Big Island on Friday, prompting fresh eruptions of a volcano that has been spewing lava near residential areas, forcing hundreds of people to flee. 

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 12:32 pm (2232 GMT) and was centered on the south flank of the Kilauea volcano, which first erupted on Thursday after a series of tremors on the island.

"This is in almost exactly the same location as the deadly 1975 M 7.1 quake," USGC said in a tweet.

To read more, go here. 

Hawaii's Volcano Awareness Month

Above, a view during our helicopter tour of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the more interesting excursions we took while in Hawaii was an aerial tour of Hawaii volcanoes on the Big Island with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. There, we flew over the Kilauea volcano.

It just so happens that this month is Volcano Awareness Month in Hawaii.

Above, molten lava as seen during our helicopter tour of Kilauea. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Los Angeles Times reported:

Volcanic eruptions are spectacular, to be sure, but they can be dangerous. That’s why January is Volcano Awareness Month on Hawaii Island, home of Kilauea, from which lava continues to flow. 

Local public safety officials and the U.S. Geological Survey are offering several presentations geared to locals and tourists. 

Four free programs will be held on consecutive Tuesdays at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home to the hyperactive Kilauea. All begin at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the park’s Kilauea Visitor Center.

To read more, go here.