A lava breakout located about 4 to 5 miles upslope of Apaa Street in Pahoa is indicative that lava continues to move through the June 27 flow’s tube system, scientists and officials said Wednesday.
“At this point, it is clear that lava has reoccupied the lava tube of the June 27 lava flow as far as that location that is just north of the geothermal well pad about 7.5 mile straight-line distance from Puu Oo,” said USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Acting Scientist-in-Charge Steve Brantley. “There does not seem to be any evidence of any lava moving further downslope in the lava tube at this point.”
Brantley said scientists on Tuesday spent the day walking the flow from the stalled flow front just above Pahoa Village Road to about 0.75 miles above Apaa Street and found no sign of inflation, surface breakouts or surface flows in the area.
“It’s confirmation that the lower part of the flow is not active at this time,” he added.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said that a Wednesday morning overflight, which was hampered by poor weather conditions, showed “a lot of surface activity” between the breakout located more than 4 miles above Apaa Street to within 1 or 2 miles of Puu Oo vent. He noted none of the breakouts should much advancement downslope.
Heavy rain and low clouds kept the helicopter from going farther upslope, Oliveira said. The weather also kept the USGS from conducting an overflight Wednesday afternoon.
The halt in activity in the immediate area of Apaa Street is likely the result of a large breakout from the lava tube at Kahaualea, a small forested puu located about 1.1 mile below Kilauea Volcano’s Puu Oo vent, that affected the supply of lava to the tube downslope. The breakout occurred Friday night as Kilauea appeared to return to the inflation period of the inflation-deflation cycle. Inflation begins when magma rises into the summit reservoir.
“It could have been just an increase in volume provided and that disrupted the tube system, so, it broke out higher and that robbed the supply of the lava going down through the lower part of the tube system,” Janet Babb, a geologist with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said Tuesday.
Smoke conditions are reported as light. Light trade winds are blowing the smoke in a south-southwest direction. Smoke conditions could increase in some areas and residents downwind that may be sensitive or have respiratory problems are advised to take necessary precautions and to remain indoors.
Residents in the flow path remain on an evacuation advisory, according to Civil Defense.
Pahoa Village Road reopened last week in both directions after being closed for about three weeks. However, the section of the roadway between Apaa Street and Post Office Road remains restricted to area residents only. Access to the businesses and commercial areas of Pahoa can be made via Pahoa Village Road at the intersection of highways 130 and 132 and Post Office Road. Civil Defense and public safety personnel will be operating in the area round the clock to maintain close observations of flow activity.
Oliveira on Wednesday said that the road would be reopened as soon as it is determined safe, but declined to provide a time frame.
Highway 130 remains open. The lava flow remains just under a half-mile from the state highway. Beach Road is open to traffic. Railroad Avenue remains closed as it traditionally has been.
Work on re-establishing Chain of Craters Road, which would be the only means of accessing Lower Puna should the flow cross Highway 130, continues. It should be complete in early December.