ROYAL GARDENS SUBDIVISION, Hawaii – The active lava flow southeast of Puʻu ʻŌʻō continues to advance down the Pūlama pali and the flow front has transitioned into a channelized ʻaʻā flow.

The episode 61g flow is now 3.9 miles long, and today the flow front progressed down the pali, moving faster now that it has hit the steep escarpments on Kīlauea’s southeast flank. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported this morning that the advance rate of the flow over the past four days has increased to about 0.2 miles per day.

USGS also posted a new map showing the progress of the 61g flow.

(USGS map) This small-scale map shows Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow field in relation to the southeastern part of the Island of Hawaiʻi. The area of the active flow field on June 23 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow field as mapped on June 28 is shown in red. Older Puʻu ʻŌʻō lava flows (1983–2016) are shown in gray.

The flow is following the path of steepest descent between the western boundary of the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision, and the eastern boundary of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Although the majority of the flow activity is pahoehoe, the flow front is channelized ʻaʻā. The leading edge of the flow was buring vegetation in a kipuka earlier today.

(USGS photo) An HVO geologist photographs the front of the channelized ʻaʻā flow.