Kalapana Lava Flow Saturday, July 17, 2010

Aloha Everybody! This past Saturday, my family and I woke early in the a.m. to go out to view the lava flow near to Kalapana. We got there before the sun came up and were surprised to see a fast moving, surface flow crossing Highway 130. This was certainly one of the fastest moving flows I have seen in some time. The image above is of a lobe of inflated pahoehoe lava oozing through an old fence. The dark lava beneath the glowing lobe is from the 1990's.

Photo: Warren Costa

Gas Plume at Kilauea Volcano

Here is an image taken near the summit of Kilauea Volcano. The view is looking South, on Highway 11, near to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The big, white cloud in the middle of the image is the gas plume coming from Halemaumau crater, located within the caldera of Kilauea. I modified the image to accentuate the gas plume and the moon.

Photo: Warren Costa

Reflecting on Wailoa Pond

Aloha Everyone, Here is an image that I took in Hilo, at the Wailoa Pond.

Photo: Warren Costa

Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory Geologist Sampling Lava

Geologists at Hawaiian Volcanoes Obseratory, (HVO), collect samples of lava from active flows to get information on temperature, gas content, and chemical composition of the lava. In this photo, a geologist braves extreme radiant heat to collect a sample from an 'a'a  flow. The photo on the bottom is a thermal image that shows the temperature gradient of the lava. The interior of the flow exceeds 1000 degrees celsius, (1800 degrees fahrenheit).

Photo: Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory

High Lava Stand Within Halemaumau Vent

Here is a rare view into the eruptive vent on the floor of Halemaumau crater. This shot was taken during a, "high lava stand", that is, the lava has risen to a higher point than what is considered normal, or baseline. In this photo, the lava surface is within about 330 feet of the floor of Halemaumau, and the crustal plates on the surface of the lava lake are clearly visible. Note also, that the emissions from the vent are wispy and thin. Emission levels drop during high lava stands, then increase as the lava recedes.

Photo: USGS

Mauna Loa Lava Ball

During a volcanic eruption, magma migrates to the surface. This magma, now called lava, is preceded by a mixture of magmatic gasses, which can cause explosive events. In this photo, taken on the slopes of Mauna Loa volcano, on the island of Hawaii, large rocks were blown out of an eruptive vent. These rocks were then coated by some rather fluid lava, creating a rounded appearance.
Photo: Warren Costa

Native Guide Hawaii

Here is a short video about my tours done by videographer Layne Luna for a local television show.