Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has been abuzz since Thursday night as visitors and local residents flocked to Kilauea caldera to catch a glimpse of the spattering lava lake as it rose toward the rim of Overlook Crater.
Helene Buntman, a park volunteer, told a crowd of around 75 at Jagger Museum lookout to “remember this place and this time,” because they were fortunate to be there to witness the lake rise to its highest level since the summit eruption began in March 2008.
“You are really here at a very good time to see a volcano in action,” she said.
And for those able to be there at night, Buntman said they would witness one of nature’s great spectacles.
“Hearing the sounds. Watching the gurgling. Watching the rolling of the lava lake,” she said.
The surface of the lava lake came into view Thursday afternoon and continued to rise Friday. The high level triggered a small collapse from the overhanging west wall and rim of the Overlook Crater at about 5:20 a.m. Friday, resulting in a small explosive event that threw spatter out onto the Halema‘uma‘u Crater floor, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said there has been a lot of interest in the event, which coincidentally is occurring during National Park Week. On Thursday night, several hundred people made their way to the Jagger Museum observation deck, most of them locals, she said.
“We could see the lava lake spattering and flaring, causing much ooohing and aaahing among onlookers,” she said. “There was a crater wall collapse at 5:20 a.m. which triggered steep waves criss-crossing the surface like a lava tsunami, much to everyone’s delight.”
Among those who considered themselves lucky to witness the action Thursday night were Jim and Linda Anderson of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, who returned Friday as part of the their 50th wedding anniversary celebration.
“It was kind of a meant-to-be thing, I guess,” Linda laughed.
The couple said Thursday night’s show was spectacular, with hundreds of excited people anxiously awaiting the next burp of lava.
On Friday, even in broad daylight, the red glow of the lake was clearly visible along the rim. Occasionally, the lake would spatter, causing those in the crowd to point. Other times, a sound similar to thunder or artillery fire would rumble from the crater.
Buntman explained to visitors that the sound they were hearing is thermal cracking, which occurs when the crater walls heat up, causing rocks to burst.
Island resident Russ Atkinson said he and his wife were up at the lookout for about three hours Thursday evening witnessed a lava fountain around 11 p.m. that lasted roughly 15 minutes.
“It was really cool and visible, and it was making lots of sound,” he said. “And it sounded like a great big fire off in the distance, a big house fire, with all that sort of crackling sound.”
A frequent visitor of the park, Atkinson said the event was nothing short of exciting for everyone there.
“We were jumping up and down,” he said. “Go Pele. Go Pele.”
The lake, which rises and falls during periods of inflationary or deflationary tilt, reached new heights Thursday afternoon when it was less than 70 feet from the crater floor, surpassing the last record from October 2012 by more than 2 feet.
At 7 a.m. Friday, it came within 52 feet of the rim before dropping slightly during the day. At around 2:30 p.m. the level was around 55 feet, according to Janet Babb, HVO spokeswoman.
“It looks like the tilt has kind of flattened out, so this may be the level that it reaches,” she said.
“(However), things are always changing.”
Email Chris D’Angelo at cdangelo@hawaiitribune-herald.com.