Volcano Road
Tag: eruption
Observing Episode 4
Plume in the Dawn
Mauna Ulu
Mauna Ulu first erupted in May 1969 and would continue for the next five years. In the course of those eruptions lava would occasionally fountain over 1,700ft high while flooding much of the surrounding area, eventually constructing a lava shield nearly 400ft above the original ground level.
In many ways the Mauna Ulu eruption was very similar to the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō eruptions that would start a decade later and continue for well over three decades. It is the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō eruptions that formed my first memories of Kilauea with television news of homes burning in the Royal Gardens subdivision and visits to the ocean entries at Kalapana. While Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō remains somewhat remote, Mauna Ulu is far more accessible.
Continue reading “Mauna Ulu”Episode 9 Dawn
Episode 9 Vents
An Eruption from Beginning to End
We really wanted to see an eruption.
The ongoing eruption of Kilauea has been an off and on affair, starting and stopping every few days since this eruptive sequence started just before Christmas. The last few cycles had been more off than on, going several days or a week with no lava visible. While the lava fountains have been short lived, just 13 to 20 hours.
To be sure I was not totally without, I had made the run across island on Jan 16th to see episode 4 of the current eruption, but my parents had not witnessed lava for many years, their annual winter visits not overlapping with an eruption.
Continue reading “An Eruption from Beginning to End”Fountain
Volcanic Plume
Yet Another Volcano Run…
This current eruption has been wonderful and frustrating in alternate measure. The eruption started just before Christmas 2024 and has now persisted well into 2025. Along the way it has been an off and on again show, one with frustrating timing.
While erupting the volcano has produced some of the most spectacular lava fountains, it then shuts off like somebody closed a valve, often going from full throttle to nothing in minutes.
For the first part of this eruptive series the timing has been horrible, at least from my viewpoint. Through the Christmas holiday I had a series of commitments well timed to prevent my running over to see the eruption while it was going. Then, when I was free to drive over the eruption stopped!
Continue reading “Yet Another Volcano Run…”