Volcanoes of Guatemala & Indonesia: A Guide
Here’s a breakdown of the volcanic activity at Kīlauea, based on the provided text:
Key Events of Episode 31 (August 22-23):
Start: Episode 31 began at 2:04 p.m. HST on August 22nd with fountaining from the north vent.
Build-up: Before the voluminous fountaining, there was continuous spattering from the north vent (starting around 8:30 a.m. HST) which built a cone inside the vent.
Intensification: Fountaining increased considerably around 2:04 p.m. HST, coinciding with ground deformation (deflationary tilt) and increased seismic activity (tremor). By 2:18 p.m. HST, it transitioned to an arcuate fountain about 100 feet high with multiple lava streams.
Multiple Vents: A south vent began spattering around 4-5 p.m. HST, and a new intermediate vent opened between the north and south vents at 7:23 p.m.HST.
Peak Fountaining: The north vent reached fountain heights of up to 325 ft (100 m) and sustained this height for moast of the episode. The intermediate vent fountains increased to 60-100 ft (20-30 m) by the evening of August 22.
End:
South vent stopped erupting around 12:40 a.m. HST on August 23rd.
Intermediate vent stopped erupting around 2:46 a.m. HST on August 23rd.
North vent stopped erupting around 2:52 a.m. HST on August 23rd, marking the end of Episode 31 after 12.6 hours of continuous fountaining.
Lava Volume: Approximately 10,900,000 cubic yards (8,400,000 cubic meters) of lava where erupted.
Lava Flow: Lava flows covered more than 75% of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Slow movement and incandescence are expected as the lava cools.
gas/Ash Distribution: Winds are blowing from the northeast, potentially carrying volcanic gas and material south and southwest of the summit.
General context:
This is the 31st eruption episode since December of the previous year.
Past episodes have been more powerful, with fountains exceeding 1000 feet and plumes reaching 20,000 feet.