Kilauea Update, FRI, May 18, 2018, 925a (kinda late)

OK, peoples...itʻs Friday???  How can?  Now itʻs REALLY becoming a blur.  Some NOTES:  those who know me know how much I HATE typos.  Iʻm a magnet for them.  On restaurant menus, and all sorts of other publications, draft or not, typos scream at me.  In RED!!!
Oh the irony then, as kind friends point the few out on these missives:  No need apostrophe in that "itʻs".  How come you not consistent with ʻokina and kahakō? Like that.  No excuse.  Well...maybe...tired, typing too fast with my one hand, not proffing enough [JOKE:  I know itʻs [it is] proofing!].  We try our best.  

a bit about ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language):

In Hawaiian language words, those two odd symbols, as used for example in the word Kaʻū, are important pronunciation guides for those not familiar with Hawaiian.  The [ʻ] is an ʻokina or glottal stop, not an apostrophe.  It should look more like a hanging 6 than a 9.  The [ū] - the line over vowels - is a kahakō, and indicates that that vowel is stressed.  Those two seemingly inconsequential little marks are actually of big consequence when speaking.  

If one says kau (yours), rather than Kaʻū (the name of the district at the south end of the Island of Hawaiʻi...big difference.  We all should be cognizant, and try, even when tired, as I shall, to be correct.  And in Hawaiian, vowels are softer, less harsh, than they are in English.  Kīlauea has a stress on the [ī], and approximates KEY-luh-ooh-eh-uh, with all those not-really-syllables glided together, because there arenʻt any ʻokina in the spelling.  As there are in Halemaʻumaʻu:  Huh-leh-muh.ooh-muh.ooh.  Rather than Halemaumau: Huh-leh-muh-oo-muh-oo (again, all glided together).

Confused?  Hoping not too much.  Maybe later weʻll get into Halemaʻumaʻu vs Halemaumau.  The difference, who chooses, etc...

See Mrs. Kanaheleʻs rendition of "E komo ma loko aʻo Halemaʻumaʻu" at the beginning of the excellent film commemorating ten years (March 2008 to March 2018) of Pele residing in Halemaʻumaʻu.  In addition to her working at Puʻuʻōʻō...busy busy.  Here, I hope, is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNoJv5Vkumk

All this "language stuff" is important if we are to honor, properly, this ʻāina (land) and her kānaka maoli (Native people).  And no, I am not fluent, or even close, in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), but I try.  I apologize to those who are, for my perhaps clumsy foregoing explanations.  And no, in case there are wonderers, Iʻm not Native Hawaiian, but I am a proud native of Hawaiʻi, of the Portuguese extraction.  My family has dwelt here since the 1880ʻs, after debarking ships from Madeira and the Azores.

Moving right along...Iʻve been yakking, trying to kill time, waiting for skies to lighten and hoping that weathers will clear a bit, and they are.  Trades seem to be back YAY!...and again, apologies to the peoples of Kaʻū if lehu (ash) should waft down on you, but ummmm:

Nā-ʻā-lehu
Land section, village, and elementary school, Honu-ʻapo qd., Hawaiʻi. Lit., the volcanic ashes.

Nāʻālehu is the southernmost town on this island.

The Breeze and I:

OK.  Tradewinds.  At Halemaʻumaʻu, the STEAM plume is nearly hugging the ground, in 15mph winds.  The below, at hawaiiso2network.com, will, we hope, continue functioning.  Itʻs my security blanket in watching wind speed and direction, and confirms what I see out the window, as hāpuʻu frond sway or are tossed in the wind.  It helps allay fears and allows me to rest a bit if wind direction and speed are my definition of "Favorable".

ʻŌlaʻi (earthquakes)

Seismicity (ʻōlaʻi or earthquakes) is WAY down.  Look at the lack of red dots this morning at and surrounding Kaluapele (Kīlauea Caldera).  And yes, I know, things can and will change, maybe FAST.  I thought the machine was broken, so I called somebody and they said No...it ʻs like that.  Quiet.  Kinda spooky after all the recent shakes to be so quiet.  Itʻs unsettling.

EQs at Summit, 051818 450a

And RE: the explosion yesterday pre-dawn at HMM:  no one that I know heard anything.  And the lehu (ash) that fell was a light coating up here.  I think when most people think "Explosion", they hear ka-BOOM.  Maybe can, or going, but not yesterday, thanks be...

Meanwhile, in Keahialaka:

Then we have Pele working in Keahialaka, the name of the ahupuaʻa (land division) in which sits Leilani Estates.  Her pele seems to have a different nature now.  Remember her sticky pasty black pāhoehoe of just a few days ago, and her ʻaʻā, also dark (but thatʻs just how ʻaʻā is regardless)?  Well. Now we can see Fissure 21 (F21), is featuring pāhoehoe of silvery sheen and hue.  And what might that mean, he queries?  Hmmm...Maybe, just maybe, pele from now vacant Puʻuʻōʻō traveled downrift, and is now presenting herself for inspection at her newest outbuildings.  Pelehonuamea at her finest.  We await analyses of lava specimens gathered by intrepid USGS volcanologists to ascertain the true facts (I know people...a redundancy...just trying to have a bit of fun after waking at 315a and mayhaps too much coffee).  

Hereʻs a USGS aerial of F21

F21at Keahialaka, May 17, 2018, 3p

And yes, thatʻs a home, and a dead lawn, and the round thing with a black cover is a corrugated metal water catchment tank.

My pal Andrew Richard Hara is an able accomplished photographer.  He shared his VIMEO stuff with us and The World.  Just google <vimeo andrew richard hara>.  The following is his version of F21 yesterday, from the ground.

https://vimeo.com/270640458

If, in fact, fresher lavas are being erupted, I would think (but what do I know???) that
Pele would be ushering faster, more silvery pāhoehoe through Keahialaka, and perhaps might be in the mood to show off some of her high lava fountains.  We shall see.

And itʻs not all showy mesmerizing pele.  Part of the program includes Deformation, and altering the surfaces on which we stroll or reside, as this example in Leilani Estates in Keahialaka, Puna District, Island of Hawaiʻi:

Usedtobe Street:  Leilani Estates:  051718:  arh

Where does this stuff live?:

Much of it is under the banner of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) website.  Hoping you can read their url.  

The [KIcam] is the best of the Halemaʻumaʻu plume, should you want to check in on her.

"Seismic" are where the Earthquake map and Info live.  Lots of buttons to play around with.

And last but not least, "Photos & Video" for dazzling imagery.

NOTE:  before Pelehonuamea decided to up her game, all the above was run on one server.  Now, apparently, USGS has four servers going, and they still have a hard time keeping up.  So donʻt let that spinning thingy upset your apple cart.  Be patient, maybe move on, and hoʻi (return) later.

Finally, as I sign off today: 

Stay tuned to all this amazingness.  As always, be makaʻala (alert, vigilant, wide awake), and always be safe.  Comments of any sort are welcome, especially constructive criticism.

Questions too, whether about topics of interest, something confusing I said, etc.; their all good...[HAH! gotcha!!! Of course I know itʻs "theyʻre"].  And yes, when I have time, Iʻll review previous postings and edit out errors.  But donʻt hold your breath...

As always, with aloha,

BobbyC

be outside...pay attention  (noho i waho...e maliu)  (hiilei kawelo, hpr hawaiʻi)