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Mass evacuations possible as Hawaii volcano turns violent

May 11, 2018 03:41·
First lava, now ballistic projectiles. Explosive eruptions added to list of fears for Hawaii residents

First lava, now ballistic projectiles. Explosive eruptions added to list of fears for Hawaii residents

Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Wednesday that the movement of magma from the summit out toward the Leilani Estates neighborhood, where 14 fissures have opened in the past week, has caused the lava lake at the top of the volcano to drop in elevation. From its peak on May 2 to the most recent measurement on May 6, the lava lake surface has dropped more than 656 feet, or about 2 yards per hour.

Rocks of up to 12 tons can shoot out of the volcano to a distance of half a mile.

Marble-sized rocks, finegrained material and ash would fall on locations within several miles.

There would also be "fine ash floating from the sky like snow" as far as 20 miles downwind, Swanson said.

Hawaii volcano eruption: LIVE pictures of Kilauea volcano Thu, May 10, 2018 Hawaii volcano: LIVE pictures of Kilauea volcano as experts predict more eruptions to come. When it hits the level of the water table beneath the Kilauea caldera, likely sometime mid-month, the influx of water into the conduit could trigger steam-driven eruptions, geologists said.

The emergence of the two new vents prompted Hawaii County to issue a cellphone alert ordering stragglers in the Lanipuna Gardens neighborhood to get out immediately.

Kilauea has destroyed 36 structures - including 26 homes - since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. The county reported 272 people were staying at a shelter at the Pahoa Community Center, and 15 were staying at a shelter in Keaau.

But winds are forecast to return - and the vog could be pushed off much of the island - by Friday night, it says.

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A summit explosion could also release ash, steam and sulfur dioxide emissions. The tradewinds then blew the dust plume to the southwest, scientists said.

Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes and perhaps the most intensely studied, began extruding red-hot lava into populated areas through newly opened fissures in the ground last week, destroying dozens of homes and other buildings, and prompting mass evacuations.

"I need to figure that out", she said with tears in her eyes. Halemaumau's lava lake is lowering to the level of the water table and this combined with the continual rockfalls into Overlook Vent could create a unsafe situation of pressurized steam below these rocks.

Rocks thrown up by a steam explosion are a big hazard. These blocks could weigh a few pounds to several tons.

This is partly because scientists are still unsure what started the sudden outpouring of lava.

While a volcanic eruption can be risky enough, there is also a chance for it to result in acid rain. At this time, we cannot say with certainty that explosive activity will occur, how large the explosions could be, or how long such explosive activity could continue.

Following the eruption on May 1, 1,700 residents were asked to evacuate. "We really don't know for certain", he told reporters on a conference call. The national park around the volcano announced that it would close because of the risks. And with new fissures are opening closer to the edge of the plant, residents are getting even more anxious. "We will reopen when it is safe to do so".

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