Kīlauea Update, Sunday, June 24, 2018, Subside, Shake, repeat

Trying to figure out what to write today...

The weather up here is nice - scattered clouds, gentle trades, coolish, as it usually is during morning.

At Keahialaka, puaʻi pele (lava fountain) is active at Māwae ʻEwalu (Fissure 8), river continues to flow into the ocean, noe uahi rises voluminously, like that...

From Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense yesterday at 430p:  637 homes gone, 6,144 acres covered by pele.  Numbers continue to increase.

And up here...  Shake Subside or maybe more accurately Subside Shake, repeat...  The continued withdrawal of magma from beneath Kaluapele (the summit caldera), as evidenced by the still-declining tilt chart,

is manifested by our cycles of steady ground for 10 hours or so, then an increasing number of smallish ʻōlaʻi for 10 hours or so, then the ʻōlaʻi ʻōniu (exploquake) during the collapse explosion at Halemaʻumaʻu.

The smallish earthquakes are queasy-making high M2ʻs, and clearly felt but short, low M3ʻs.  Too many to count.  For real.  Too many.  The Subside Shake pretty much happens concurrently, though yes, the Subside causes the Shake.  And please note, Oh Reader, that the exploquakes are not Subside Shake related, but rather are the vibratory effects of steamgas as they are emitted from The Conduit.  Those vibratory effects are VERY clearly announced as M5.3 "Equivalent Earthquake Magnitude" events.  Iʻll try find out why theyʻre M5.3.  Maybe thatʻs the vibratory range of Peleʻs voice.  Or something.  And something odd:  The last two ʻōlaʻi ʻōniu, Friday at 652p and Saturday at 434p felt very close to an actual M5.3, rather than the squishy smaller-feeling-than-stated EEM.  Wonder why?

Nevertheless, the shaking can be alarming.  Note that the entire summit is subsiding, thus we see the scattered dots.  And please, Dear Reader, note too, that unless you are at or near the summit region of Kīlauea, You Have No Idea...

Above, are earthquakes for the last month, magnitude 3.0 and higher.  Those are in the feel-able range.  Especially if theyʻre shallow and youʻre close.  Below are those of the last day, of all magnitudes.

And yes, I am very grateful, because Her schedule at the moment allows for several hours of restful slumber every night in the subdivision just to the right of "Volcano" above.  I pray that continues to be so.

Rockfalls in Halemaʻumaʻu stir the pot, and rockdust rises into the sky.  There is apparently very little ash, if any, being emitted these days.  The ascending clouds, after an ʻōlaʻi ʻōniu, are mostly brownish rockdust, then turn whitish with vapor.

From yesterday, A Sequence.  The first is pre-ʻōlaʻi ʻōniu (M5.2 exploquake at 434p), note the ash storm at the right.  Tradewinds (moaʻe) blow left-to-right at 320p:

Then at nearly 435p the brownish reddish rock dust rises:

Steam more noticeable at lower left at 438p:

Then at 440p, the cloud is whiter:

And here, is what I think is a VERY cool thing.  If you go look at the Live Stream cam at

Live Stream Kīlauea Volcano USGS

and can manage to hover your mouse cursor just above the red line, you can re-wind and re-play 4 hours of the view by moving back and forth.  

And the good folks at USGS HVO have installed different cameras for our viewing pleasure.  URL address:

HVO Webcams

I regularly use and share with you folks [KIcam], and now the [KEcam], as well as the [PGcam], seventh down on the East Rift Zone list.

Below is from the [KEcam]...Kīlauea East cam.  Note that it faces east, the rising place of the sunmoon, and that there are reflections on the glass of the tower at HVO.  And also, FYI, because Kaluapele is not lit with floodlights at night, the scene will be dark then.  Except for when ka pā kōnane a ka mahina (the moonlight shines brightly).  [How I miss dancing "Kuʻuhoa"...].

Above, please note the VERY substantial sag, center of image, on the left edge of Halemaʻumaʻu.  That sag is partially encircled by steaming cracks, circumferential to Halemaʻumaʻu.  Not particularly reassuring, especially if magma continues to be withdrawn, tilt continues to decline, and subsidence continues... The little bump on the horizon, right of center, is Maunaulu, built by Pele from 1969 to 1974.

OK?  Good?  

And, if you are or become a fan of the USGS Live Stream, sometimes get koaʻe (tropicbirds) flying, puahiohio (whirlwinds), and rainbows in the steamdust...try look good, lower left.

I going eat and go walk!

As always, with aloha,

BobbyC
maniniowali@gmail.com