The eruption at Kilauea Volcano’s summit appears stable, and there’s no sign it will end anytime soon, although previous eruptions have lasted less than a day to more than 10 years.
“For now, there isn’t an indication from HVO field monitoring of the eruption or from monitoring data that the eruption is subsiding,” the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in an email response to questions.
Lava has been rising at a rate of more than 3 feet an hour, and filled up to 440 feet of the bottom of the lake inside Halemaumau Crater as of early Tuesday morning. Scientists calculate the volume is equivalent to over 2 billion gallons of lava that could cover roughly 33 acres.
HVO said in its online daily update Tuesday that of the original three vents that opened up Sunday night along the north and northeast walls of Halemaumau, only two remain active. The middle and west vents have since been inundated by the lake, and the east vent remains the most vigorous.
Just as the lava continues to flow into the lake, visitors have been streaming into Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
Jessica Ferracane, spokeswoman for the park, said, “The parking lot at the summit is full. We have thousands of visitors here to experience the eruption.”
The crowd grew from a couple hundred at 10:30 p.m. Sunday to several thousands late Monday night at the Kilauea Overlook, she said. “We have park rangers having to manage large volumes of traffic throughout the day and night.”
Most were Hawaii island residents, but many have been arriving from Oahu to see Madame Pele put on a display for the first time in two years, Ferracane said. The eruption has made national news, and, no doubt, visitors from outside the state will join the Hawaii crowds.
Unlike the 2018 eruption, in which lava inundated populated areas including the Leilani Estates subdivision, this one remains inside Halemaumau Crater within the park.
Many are disregarding closure signs and barriers to get a closer look from the crater’s edge.
Park officials urge visitors to stay away from closed areas. At 6 a.m. Tuesday at least 40 people were standing at the edge of the rim of Kilauea, including a family with small children running around the cliff’s edge, Ferracane said.
“With all the seismic activity, all it takes is a good shake and it’s a 400-foot drop to the bottom,” she said.
While the lava is still more than 1,500 feet below the crater rim and still not visible from the permitted viewing areas, visitors “can see the reflection of lava from the beautiful, glowing lava lake,” she said. “The illumination on the clouds of ash and steam and the crater walls” are best seen at night. During the day, plumes of steaming ash and gas are visible.
Since the 2018 summit collapse, Halemaumau Crater is enormous now, so there are safe viewing areas near the edge, Ferracane said. However, there are “earth cracks and unstable cliff edges” that are dangerous.
Besides managing the eruption, park officials must manage the pandemic, Ferracane said, and they implore the public to maintain distancing of 6 feet and to wear masks.
Therefore, the national park’s officials are calling on park rangers from the Pacific West Region, which includes California, Oregon and Washington.
The park is handling it like a fire, establishing an incident command where people with training in crisis management are mobilized, Ferracane said.
In the meantime, back- country permits for overnight use have been canceled starting Tuesday. Front-country Kulanaokuaiki Campground remains open on a first-come, first-served basis.
If the eruption subsides or when extra staff arrives, the permits may be reissued.
Park officials offer a tip to avoid the crowds: Come early before sunrise between 3 and 4 a.m.
Ferracane suggests a 2-mile round-trip hike to Keanakakoi, a viewing area opposite the Jagger Museum, which offers an uncrowded spot on the caldera rim.
But the Kilauea overlook is the highest vantage point and extremely crowded with the after-dinner crowd, Ferracane said.
Other dangers include high levels of volcanic gas, which includes sulfur dioxide, rockfalls, explosions and volcanic glass particles, which result from lava fountains and can cause skin and eye irritation.
HVO says sulfur dioxide emission rates remain high at 30,000 tons a day. A few earthquakes and tremor fluctuations continue related to the vigor of fissure fountaining.
The Department of Health warned Tuesday the eruption might increase vog and sulfur dioxide across the state, and recommends taking preventive measures to protect against problems with respiratory health.
Areas downwind of the summit such as Pahala and Ocean View already have experienced increased levels of sulfur dioxide.
However, at the summit, tradewinds were blowing the volcanic gases away to the southwest, so the air quality was good Tuesday, Ferracane noted. When it switches to Kona winds, the air quality will go down.
HAWAI‘I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
If you are planning to visit:
>> Read: “How to Safely View the New Eruption in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park”
>> Visit: bit.ly/2KN07Qz
