Wednesday, October 20, 2021. Brriiiisk, but...

 Ahhh...while we long and pine for clearsky sunshine, we forget to remember (a theme, paha?) that at nighttime, with clouds absent, and not enough blankets, quilts, kīhei... hū ka colʻ!!! 230 this morning had to crawl out of my fetal position and add another quilt to the bed.  49dF this morning.  But yes, it is sunny, and nighttime was coquiquiet because they donʻt like the cold either.  Always a tradeoff of some sort...consequences, both intended and unintended, expected or not, we keep on keeping on.

As does She:

With kōkua yesterday, 101921, I again managed to get to Hālona Luaʻi Pele:  not a formally named place, but a Viewpoint to see Her Eruption and Fountaining.  Even from about a mile away, we witnessed an ongoing project of Pelehonuamea in her home Halemaʻumaʻu.  Her loko ahi (lava lake) continues to rise about 3 feet a day, bluish polalauahi and whitish māhu rise as they will, Her luaʻi pele, (fountains) pulse as does a beating heart, and ripening pods of ʻaʻaliʻi redden the plain.  Visitors are mostly respectful and awestruck, and exhibit a notable glow as they walk the mile back to their cars.

Two following pixellated photos are zoomed in "low tech" iPhone7, thanks to jr.  That dark patch left foreground  is ʻaʻā, apparently seeped out of a very differently configured, and fuller, Halemaʻumaʻu sometime during 1888 or 1889.  The geological map screenshot below will help inform;  a very pale greenish yellow rectangleish just to the right of "Halemaumau Crater".

[With apologies, a CORRECTION on 121421:  that patch of ʻaʻā, seen on the geologic map below (scroll down a bit), happened sometime between 1892-94, and is depicted as a curved rectangle in the salmon-colored unit [1892-94] to the right of Halemaʻumaʻu, above and to the right of "-94".]

And then, with gratitudes, as always, to HVO staff, this nearly identical view on October 18, 2021, posted on their website:

from the P/E Hawaiian Dictionary:  Hū ka pele, to pour forth lava, erupt.

Never ever ceases to amaze.  

On Monday, 101821, I visited Uēkahuna.  What was a silver sliver of loko ahi has grown, and during the 30 or 40 minutes viewing, pele was not observed, because the crust was paʻa.

And I also strolled to Kūpinaʻi earlier that morning.  Still shrouded in ānuenue-decorated kanoelehua, the lehua mist, a puff of ao māhu hangs over The Pit.  Thanks js for steady-handed click.

Whatʻs not to enjoy, learn from, be grateful for?  Many of us aloha Kaluapele and surroundings, because.  Because weʻve spent years, decades, coming to know Ke Ao Pelehonuamea, The Realm of Pelehonuamea.  We arenʻt expert, but are attentive to Her teachings.  And too, the teachings of Her sister Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, and He Kīhoʻihoʻi Kānāwai.  The Edict of Regeneration.  After Pele completes an episode of her work, Hiʻiaka comes in to green the land.

From USGS Geological Map i-2759:

First, look to the right of "Halemaumau Crater" for the pale greenish-yellow rectangle of 1888-1889.

Then the four small yellows on the rim between pink and light blue, by kpu:  8/71.  Theyʻre just above the roundish 7/74 on the floor of Keanakākoʻi.  Between the left-most, biggest of those, and the small narrow one to itʻs right, is Hālona Luaʻi Pele.

Hoping this annotated closeup of GoogleEarth helps clarify.

Below, also on said map...If youʻve walked the former road to Keanakākoʻi, you can see, on the image, the fountaining fissure on the road... Current viewpoint is just left of frame.

I know...It can be a bit dizzying and confounding if you havenʻt been here:  Where am I???  Which direction am I looking?  Best thing is to, if can, ComeLook.

She continues, with Tilt flattish.  If you look at the second graph below, you might think weʻre up down rocking rolling.  But itʻs a matter of time and scale.  The first graph is a month of recordings:

While this is a week.  Things even out.

And, I think notably, weʻve been pretty quiet seismically.  White Dots are between 2 and  4 weeks old...

And while the focus for some is Kaluapele, I never fail to enjoy mohala nā pua ʻōpelu...a seasonal treat, as are delightfully scented freesia at Kukuiʻohiwai.

  

Headed out for a soloholo to Keanakākoʻi.  Be well, stay safe, and

Aloha, always aloha.

BobbyC

maniniowali@gmail.com