Puʻu ʻŌʻō Cone @ Kiluea

I am bringing this to the forum for a "oh hey cool" aspect, to let people know something awesome is going on with Hawaii's most active volcano.

Foreword: Before I go further. This is not a doom thread. This is nothing unknown. This area has been erupting nearly non-stop for some 30+ years. I made this thread for people who wished to watch the process this cone is going through and chat about it only. Which is why I didn't use the volcano thread that is for news/general discussion on volcanoes.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō is an active lava lake. In the past few months, it has been growing rapidly. The primary reason I am bringing this to attention is purely for amateur geologists/vulcanologist/people who are dwarves at heart and love volcanoes.

You can currently see all activity in a timed refresh webcam right on the rim looking into the volcano cone's pit. For the past month I have watched it raise 50 something feet. With a rising-rate of 1.5-3 Feet a day - its the most rapid geological formation I can find on live-webcam that is seemingly non-stop.

Video & News Information on this from July 19, 201

Timed-Webcam Here

Eruption Status

During my time watching, I have seen some amazing sights...like this...



IF you aren't checking this camera nearly hourly, you are missing some awesome formations! As of this posting, on the far left you can see freshly drying lava - last night it was an active vent. Glowing hot.

Comparison shots - compare to Current (Webcam) height of the floor to these pictures mere months ago.

04-2011


06-2011



At some point the cone's lake will over-flow (taking the webcam with it!!!) OR entire floor will collapse into an empty chamber if a vent opens up somewhere else like this... like it did in May.

Very cool!

Thanks for providing this. I hadn't thought about Kiluea for awhile now, but will go check out the webcams.

Thank you very much. S&F. Finally one thread without politics, killings, loonies, wars, gods and demons. I'll just stare into the pit of fire and try to relax.

Thanks for the webcam link! I didn't know there was a live webcam on Kilauea. Shame on me (being from Hawaii and all). I just rely on all my family there, to give me the latest on any volcano activity. Mahalo (thanks)!

reply to post by trisvonbis


You won't believe me when I say - volcanoes scare me...but sooth me...and interest me so much. Its a mix of feelings hahah.
Like this!



I would be afraid to be there - that the ground could just open up beneath my feet into an active lava tube. Skylight just opens and off into it I fall...a real hazard, haha. If it wasn't for that I'd be there myself...

Or a fountain of some sort...but there would be warning signs I guess.



reply to post by tsawyer2

reply to post by alohagirl21


You are both welcome! We need more "Oh hey that is cool!" threads these days...to much doom and gloom with no real science.

If you go nowhere else in Hawai'i, go to Kilauea and leave your camera behind. There is a saying written in Hawaiian at the visitor's center that says something like, "It is by observing that we learn." Spend a few days and visit the petroglyphs, the lava tube, devastation trail, sulphur banks. Don't do the "in and out" tourist speed visit.

In the evenings the park is open and it's free to drive-in and watch the glow from the Halema`uma`u crater (the summit crater) from the Jagger museum. It was a moonless night with low clouds the last I was there, so the lava was very bright; you could see a distant glow from the Pu'u 'O'o crater reflected from the clouds as well. I watched the swirling gases and flickering orange light from Halema'uma'u and felt as close to meeting a living god as I'll ever come. Primordial, willful, alive!

Pele love's you!

reply to post by John_Brown


Thank you for that! I really would love to go and see it like this. It would be my luck the day I am there, thick fog/gasses with no visibility.

volcanoes.usgs.gov...

SURFS UP! A wall has collapsed I think!!!

POCam seems to be down. However I found others thanks to it being down.

PC Cam

See the new flow here!

Collapse the other day! Flowing out the side now. Good views at night too.