(ABOVE PHOTO) In this annotated photo taken yesterday by USGS scientists, we see the terminus of the June 27th lava flow. “Small, sluggish breakouts remain active upslope from the stalled front of the flow, near Kaohe Homesteads,” wrote volcano observers. “More vigorous breakouts are active even farther upslope, midway along the length of the flow and on a pad of lava within the crack system.”

NEWS BRIEFS

• Activity is increasing at the stalled lava flow front according to observations made by civil defense this morning.
• Vigorous surface activity was noted where the lava enters and traverses the crack system, about 3 miles upslope of the flow front. Last night, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory stated the fresh breakout suggests lava is slowly reoccupying the tube.

INSIGHTS

Scientists made a case on Thursday night for a connection between the lava supply to the flow front and inflation – deflation at the Kilauea summit. The recent stalling was attributed, in part, to summit deflation. Now that the summit is going into an inflation phase, scientists expect to see increased activity on the flow. Sure enough, last night a fresh breakout was observed 3 miles upslope of the flow front, and this morning increased lava activity was oozing forth on the edges of the front.

PRIMARY SOURCES

This morning’s assessment shows the leading surface lava flow has not advanced however some increase in activity along the edges was noted. The small breakout flow upslope from the leading edge along the north flank also appeared to be more active with increased burning activity. That breakout has advanced approximately 75 yards since yesterday and remains further upslope and to the north and does not pose an immediate threat to area communities.

No evacuation is needed at this time and area residents will be given adequate notice to safely evacuate should that be necessary.

Smoke conditions were light to moderate with a light rain throughout the area. There is no fire threat at this time.

HELCO crews will be working in the Government Beach road area and digging holes to allow for the installation of power poles. This will result in the road being blocked and the access will be limited to beach road residents only to minimize disruption and delays to the operations.

The public is reminded that the flow is not visible and cannot be accessed from any public areas. Access to the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision will remain restricted to area residents only.Hawaii County Civil Defense on Sept. 27

The June 27th lava flow remains active. Sluggish breakouts were observed at the flow front during Friday’s overflight, probably associated with draining of lava from the inflated flow’s hot interior. More vigorous surface activity was noted where the lava enters and traverses the crack system, about 5 km (3 miles) upslope of the flow front.

A Civil Defense overflight Saturday morning found that while the flow front had not advanced, there was a small increase in activity along the flow edges compared to Friday morning. The breakout along the north margin of the existing flow advanced by about 70 m (75 yards) over the past day and was burning forest.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Observations: There was no net change in ground tilt at Puʻu ʻŌʻō over the past day. Glow was visible overnight above several outgassing openings in the crater floor, and Friday’s overflight observed incandescence and sloshing lava in these pits. The most recent sulfur-dioxide emission-rate measurement for the East Rift Zone was 550 tonnes per day (from all sources) on September 25, 2014. Seismic tremor was low and constant.

Summit Observations: The summit experienced a minor amount of inflation over the past day, and the lava level in the Overlook crater was mostly stable at about 60 m beneath the crater rim. Small fluctuations in level were associated with changes in spattering, some of which were triggered by minor collapses from the crater wall.USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Sept. 27

USGS HVO map shows the distal part of the June 27th flow in relation to nearby Puna communities. The black dots mark the flow front on specific dates. The most vigorous breakouts were on top of a pad of lava within the crack system about 5 km (3 miles) back from the stalled front, and midway along the length of the flow just upslope from where lava first entered the crack system.

Annotated photo by USGS HVO showing Puʻu ʻŌʻō and the vent and upper lava tube for the June 27th lava flow.