"Lava continued to enter the ocean in the W Kamoamoa/Lae Apuki area. Surface flows broke out on the bench, directly behind the littoral cone formed in July. These flows extended the active bench area 300-400 m W and formed a new tube parallel to the shoreline. Lava initially entered the ocean along a 500-m-wide front, but by the end of August entries had consolidated and lava entered the ocean along a 150-m-wide front. Additional breakouts resurfaced much of the older part of the bench early in the month. Small bench collapses and moderate-sized littoral explosions were observed towards mid-month. High surf on 23-24 August deposited sand and debris 50 m inland, along the entire front of the bench. Breakouts immediately behind the active ocean entries covered parts of the new bench and the storm deposit. There were no major bench collapses during the last half of August; material swept in by the storm appeared to support and slow the seaward movement of the bench.

"On 16 August a small pahoehoe flow broke out of the tube at 90 m elevation. A much larger channelized aa and pahoehoe flow broke out at 285 m on 20 August and rapidly advanced below 90 m elevation. The flow was active along its entire length, and by the end of the month fingers of active lava extended below the Paliuli fault scarp.

"The pond in Pu`u `O`o was active throughout August and its surface fluctuated at 79-84 m below the crater rim. Circulation in the pond was sluggish."

Geological Summary. Kilauea overlaps the E flank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano in the island of Hawaii. Eruptions are prominent in Polynesian legends; written documentation since 1820 records frequent summit and flank lava flow eruptions interspersed with periods of long-term lava lake activity at Halemaumau crater in the summit caldera until 1924. The 3 x 5 km caldera was formed in several stages about 1,500 years ago and during the 18th century; eruptions have also originated from the lengthy East and Southwest rift zones, which extend to the ocean in both directions. About 90% of the surface of the basaltic shield volcano is formed of lava flows less than about 1,100 years old; 70% of the surface is younger than 600 years. The long-term eruption from the East rift zone between 1983 and 2018 produced lava flows covering more than 100 km2, destroyed hundreds of houses, and added new coastline.

Information Contacts: T. Mattox, HVO.