Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 7 September-13 September 2016
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2016. Report on Kīlauea (United States) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 7 September-13 September 2016. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey. https://volcano.si.edu/showreport.cfm?gvpvar=GVP.WVAR20160907-332010
During 7-13 September HVO reported that the lava lake continued to rise and fall, circulate, and spatter in Kīlauea's Overlook vent. The lake level fluctuated between 5 and 20 m below the Halemaʻumaʻu floor, and was easily visible from the Jaggar Museum (NW rim of Kīlauea Caldera). The 61G lava flow, originating from a vent on Puʻu ʻŌʻō Crater's E flank, continued to enter the ocean at multiple areas near Kamokuna. A large section of the W part of the delta had collapsed on 5 September, causing a small explosion. Scattered breakouts were active 1.7-2 km inland from the coast.
Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Geological Summary. Kīlauea overlaps the E flank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano in the Island of Hawaiʻi. 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 Halemaʻumaʻu 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.