Hawaii volcano: Aerial view of lava fountain in Leilani Estates top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Molten lava continues to surge into the streets of the East Rift Zone at the base of the Kilauea volcano, leaving dozens of homes in the Leilani Estate and Lanipuna gardens areas reduced to rubble. Hawaii Civil Defense spokesman Talmadge Mango said the number of buildings swallowed up by the lava jumped from 77 on Thursday to at least 87 during the latter part of this week. And residents have been issued a stark warning in response to the continuing crisis - evacuate, or be arrested. The latest US Geological Survey (USGS) map of the affected area around Kilauea shows the lava flow continues to surge into the sea off the coast near Pohoiki. Flows continue in the Leilani Estates area, with new lava flows reported hearing towards the Kapoho area and Vacationland Hawaii, which was partially evacuated earlier this week. Previous or “notable” past lava flows have engulfed that area - meaning residents could be at threat if the lava flows continue. The USGS warning for June 1 read: “Vigorous eruption of lava continues from the lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) fissure system in the area of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens. “Fountaining at Fissure 8 is reaching 180 to 220 feet in height and continues to feed a channelized lava flow to the northeast along Highway 132 and down into the Four Corners region (at the intersection of Highways 132 and 137). Hawaii volcano: Latest map of affected area Vigorous eruption of lava continues from the lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) fissure system in the area of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens. USGS “Small overflows from the channel are occurring along its length, including in a few places near the intersection of Highway 132 and Pohoiki road. “As of 9.50pm HST the flow front was approximately 0.28 miles from the intersection. The more western branches of the Fissure 8 flow either stalled or advanced only short distances. “Fissure 18 appears to be crusted over or inactive. The flows that had been moving toward Highway 137 are either inactive or moving very slowly. Fissure 22 appears to be inactive.” It has been almost a month since the Hawaii volcano, the most active on Big Island, eruption explosives - sending “persistent fountains” of lava more than 300 feet in the air. Hawaii volcano update: Molten lava continues to surge into the streets Hawaii volcano update: Flows continue in the Leilani Estates area Fissure 8 remain the most active, with lava lobes advancing some 100 yards an hour - but volcanologists monitoring Kilauea's latest eruptions say the crater seems to have entered a quieter period. The summit crater, which began ejecting ash and volcanic rock in eruptions in May, seems to have been plugged by tons of rocky material which was shaken loose during the explosions. Kyle Anderson, a USGS geophysicist, warned what happened next was unknown. "It's possible that new explosions will blast through the rubble at the bottom of the vent, and these may or may not be larger than previous explosions," he said. "It's also possible that the vent could become permanently blocked, ending the explosions entirely." Hawaii volcano: The USGS map of affected areas shows the lava flow surging Hawaii volcano eruption: 100 striking pictures show horror of Kilauea's eruption Thu, June 28, 2018 Staggering images show the sheer scale of the Hawaiian Kilauea volcano as lava and hazardous fumes continue to spew Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 100 Lava entering the sea and releasing multiple laze plumes at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii<doc-sep>The U.S. Geological Survey took a break from giving serious updates about Hawaii’s Kilauea volcanic eruption to confirm that no, you should not roast marshmallows over the scorching hot volcanic vents. The USGS responded to one twitter user who asked, “Is it safe to roast marshmallows over volcanic vents? Assuming you had a long enough stick, that is? Or would the resulting marshmallows be poisonous?” “Erm,” the USGS replied. “We’re going to have to say no, that’s not safe. (Please don’t try! )” Not only would it be unsafe, the USGS said, but the marshmallows would simply taste bad. The vent could be releasing sulfur dioxide or hydrogen sulfide — which both emit not-so-pleasant smells — and the sulfuric acid from vog, or volcanic smog, could create a “pretty spectacular reaction,” the USGS said. The USGS has issued a number of more formal warnings in the weeks since the Kilauea Volcano erupted in Hawaii, causing many residents in the nearby Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens to evacuate as more fissures open and the lava flow slowly moved, eventually hitting the ocean. The USGS has issued a warning for the volcano — the highest alert-level possible that means a “hazardous eruption is imminent, underway or suspected,” according to the USGS website. The agency had also issued a red-level aviation code, which warns an eruption is imminent or underway with significant volcanic ash and plume in the air. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Contact us at letters@time.com.<doc-sep>Lava moving west from Fissure 7 on Leilani Avenue on Sunday May 27. Photo : USGS Lava from Hawaii’s erupting Kilauea volcano has reached the Puna Geothermal Venture plant, covering a well and threatening another. At the same time, fast-moving lava flows are now threatening nearby communities, prompting new evacuations. Advertisement “Lava flow from Fissures 7 and 21 crossed into PGV [Puna Geothermal Venture] property overnight and has now covered one well that was successfully plugged,” declared the Hawaii Civil Defense Agency in a statement released on Sunday, May 27 at 6:00 pm local time. “That well, along with a second well 100 feet [30 meters] away, are stable and secured, and are being monitored. Also due to preventative measures, neither well is expected to release any hydrogen sulfide.” Those preventive measures included a complete shutdown of the geothermal plant, the capping of all 11 wells, and the removal of some 60,000 gallons of flammable liquid. Those precautions aside, this is the first time in history—as far as we know—that lava has ever engulfed a geothermal power plant, so it’s all uncharted territory. There’s fear that a rupture of the wells could set off an explosion, releasing hydrogen sulfide and other dangerous gasses into the environment. As of this posting, the lava flows on the PGV grounds have stopped moving. Residents have been worrying about such a scenario since the plant went online nearly three decades ago. Over the years, PGV owners have faced lawsuits questioning its decision to place the plant so close to one of the world’s most active volcanoes, as Reuters reports. The 38-megawatt PGV facility provides about 25 percent of power to the Big Island. Fissure 7 on Sunday May 27. Image : USGS Meanwhile, sections of the nearby Leilani Estates community had to be evacuated owing to fast-moving lava from Fissure 7, one of 24 cracks that have opened up since the eruptions began on May 3. Advertisement At 7:00 pm local time yesterday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) issued a statement warning that “a large perched lava pond created by lava flow from Fissure 7 breached, creating a fast-moving lava flow that ran down Leilani Avenue and Luana Street in Leilani Estates.” The same fissure is spewing lava at heights reaching 150 to 200 feet (45 to 60 meters), and generating a spatter rampart that’s now 100 feet (30 meters) tall. Residents were told to expect power and water interruptions, and that they should be prepared to evacuate with little or no notice. For some, that notice came a mere 45 minutes later, with the USGS declaring at 7:45 pm, “Leilani Estates residents on Nohea St and Luana St between Leilani Ave and Kahukai, and Kupono Street between Malama Street and Leilani Avenue need to evacuate immediately due to a fast-moving lava flow from Fissure 7.” Fleeing residents were told to seek shelter at nearby community centers. Advertisement The USGS is also warning of new ground cracking, and possible new outbreaks of lava flows . An evacuation plan is currently in place should Highway 130 be covered in lava, a development that would sever the community from the rest of the Big Island. US Marine Corps stationed at a base near Honolulu have a pair of CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters ready should this happen. Aerial view of Kīlauea Volcano’s summit Photo : USGS Advertisement The crater at Kilauea is continuing to erupt sporadically, spewing ash into the air. On Sunday, the volcano produced an ash column that reached 10,000 feet high (3 km). “Additional explosive events that could produce minor amounts of ashfall downwind are possible at any time,” wrote the USGS. “Volcanic gas emissions at the summit remain high.” Adding insult to injury, the Pacific Trade Winds are expected to diminish today, expanding the area impacted by vog—a noxious haze comprised of sulfur dioxide and other volcanic gases. Advertisement Another day, another batch of headaches. Hopefully, this will all end soon. [Hawaii County Civil Defense, USGS, CNN, Reuters]<doc-sep>
The US Geological Survey (USGS) has published a new set of maps to observe the destruction caused by Hawaii’s Volcano Kilauea. The government agency continues to publish maps at a fast cadence as they quickly become obsolete due to Kilauea’s lava flows and their fast-moving, erratic behavior. On Wednesday, the USGS published its latest update stating that although lava flow has slowed to less than 50 yards per hour near the overactive Fissure 8, the fissure continues to maintain eruptive fountains reaching 250 feet. USGS also issued a warning that that this fissure’s high “fountaining” is launching volcanic glass. Thermal map showing the fissure system and lava flows as of 12:15 pm on May 30. USGS Temperatures in this thermal-image map are displayed as gray-scale values, with the brightest pixels indicating the hottest areas. It shows how lava has now crossed Highway 132 and a stretch of roads across Hawaii’s Big Island, making it difficult for residents to evacuate if they haven’t done so already. By late afternoon on Thursday, lava flow from Fissure 18 was less than a mile from Highway 137 before it began branching from the south side of the crack. Fissures 22, 6, and 13 were also offering sporadic bursts of activity expanding the lava’s reach. The lava isn’t the only carnage that the volcano has caused. Since Kilauea first erupted on May 3, it has spewed giant rocks the size of refrigerators, opened several dangerous fissures, literally screamed, and then farted copious amounts of toxic sulfur dioxide in the air, creating a rotten-egg smell that could, under some conditions, contribute to acid rain. Map of lava flows as of 3:00 p.m. on May 30. USGS USGS is frequently publishing new maps due to the erratic nature of Kilauea’s lower East Rift Zone eruption. The agency made a point to note that the map details shown above are accurate as of date/time noted, but “could have changed rapidly since that time.” The fast-moving lava keeps pivoting thanks to changing vent locations, varying rates of lava effusions, and over 20 fissures starting and stopping. The USGS maps highlight the latest lava flows but it’s still uncertain which areas will be affected next. The latest maps from USGS continue to offer surprises, much like when the Kilauea Volcano lava first became visible from space. After four weeks of unprecedented eruptions, the extent of these lava flows continues to displace hundreds of people on the Big Island.