Kilauea volcano (Hawai'i): floating islands in the lava lake
Mon, 11 Jan 2021, 07:48 | BY: MARTIN
The largest floating island in Halema‘uma‘u crater lake (image: HVO)
Red arrows show the floating islands in the lava lake at Kilauea volcano (image: HVO)
According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), a few floating islands formed in the lava lake. The largest island is about 250 m (820 ft) long, 135 m (440 ft) wide and 20 m (65 ft) tall. On 1 January the islands'edges were about 6 m (20 ft) above the lava lake surface. On 4 Janury the whole island had risen by about 2 m (6-7 ft). The island has rotated and moved both eastward and westward since its formation on the first day of the eruption. On 6 January at about 22:30 local time the island stalled in rotation and movement.
Webcam imagery and eyewitness observations indicate that it formed through a combination of lava interacting with the lake water, early lava flows, and tephra erupted from the early highest fountains. Islands have been observed in Kīlauea lava lakes for more than 100 years. The apparent buoyancy changes of the island may be due to a density increase in the lava lake as gases escape or sloughing off of island material from the subsurface.
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory volcano activity update 11 January 2021
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Previous news
Wed, 6 Jan 2021, 06:00
Kilauea volcano (Hawaiian Islands, USA) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 6 January-12 January 2021 (New Activity / Unrest)
HVO reported that lava effusion from vents on a cone on the inner NW wall of Kilauea's Halema`uma`u Crater continued to feed a growing perched lava lake during 6-12 January. Lava flowed through a crusted channel into the lake during most of the week. A dome fountain of upwelled lava at the partially submerged inlet was 5 m tall early on 6 January. ... Read all
Wed, 30 Dec 2020, 06:00
Kilauea volcano (Hawaiian Islands, USA) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 30 December-5 January 2021 (New Activity / Unrest)
HVO reported that lava effusion from a vent on the inner NW wall of Kilauea's Halema`uma`u Crater continued to feed a growing lava lake during 30 December-5 January. A cone had formed over the remaining active vent, which was one of three that had opened at the beginning of the eruption. Lava sometimes spattered from vents at the top of a cone and flowed down into the lake through a crusted-over channel; during 2-5 January a dome fountain was visible near the lake's margin, formed by upwelling of lava as in entered the lake at a partially submerged inlet. ... Read all
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