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| Nearly the entire school sat in a set of bleachers on one side of the new Ka`u District Gym during opening ceremonies Wednesday. Photo by Ron Johnson |
Designed and engineered by architectural firm Mitsunaga & Associates, the facility was built by Summit Construction over a four-year period.
Scheduled events are expected to be announced later this month. Also anticipated is arrival of weight room equipment that will be available to students and residents.
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| Ka`u Learning Academy plans to add a classroom. Photo from KLA |
KA`U LEARNING ACADEMY OFFICIALS yesterday asked the Windward Planning Commission for more time to meet county requirements, Nancy Cook Lauer reported in West Hawai`i Today. The charter school plans to increase classroom space in order to increase enrollment.
“There are some issues remaining, still some questions,” planner Jeff Darrow told Cook Lauer. “We’re getting more information to make sure the occupancy limits are met.”
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HAWAI`I SUPREME COURT RULED in favor of a telescope planned for Haleakala on Maui. The decision follows one last year in which the court invalidated a permit for the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauka Kea. It found that the state did not follow proper procedures by not holding a contested case hearing before beginning of construction.
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| Hawai`i Supreme Court ruled in favor of another telescope planned for Haleakala. Photo from Wikipedia |
Yesterday, the court issued two opinions related to the Maui project. By a 3-2 majority, the court affirmed the state Board of Land & Natural Resources’ decision in 2012 to grant a permit to build the telescope on Haleakala. It also unanimously agreed that the University of Hawai`i’s management plan for the summit provided a sufficient assessment of potential environmental impacts from the telescope.
“We respect the court’s decisions and will consider them carefully to determine what impact, if any, they have on future matters before the state land board, including the Thirty Meter Telescope,” Hawai`i Attorney General Doug Chin said. “The justices continue to stress the importance of conducting a fair process for all projects on public lands.”
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WHY EARTHQUAKE MEASUREMENT SOMETIMES CHANGE is explained by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists in the current issue of Volcano Watch.
“Characterizing earthquakes is one of the most important activities we do at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory,” the article states. “Seismicity helps us monitor the ‘pulse’ of volcanoes and can be a first indication of an impending eruption.
“Earthquakes also pose a hazard in their own right, and the entire state of Hawai`i is at risk from damaging earthquakes. They occur abruptly, so we must be vigilant and prepared.
“HVO posts preliminary information about earthquake location and size (magnitude) as soon as possible after one occurs. Later, we update the information as more data becomes available. Sometimes the reported magnitude changes during this process.
“When the earth shakes, vibrating seismic waves radiate outward from the source. These waves are picked up by sensitive instruments called seismometers, which are located across the state. Seismic data is relayed in near real-time to HVO, where computers trained to look for earthquake patterns keep watch around the clock. When four or more stations detect an earthquake, the computer automatically estimates the location and magnitude of the event.
“If the earthquake magnitude is above 3.0, the computer posts the information to HVO’s website without human intervention. The USGS Earthquake Notification Service then alerts subscribers. This generally happens within five minutes of the earthquake.
“HVO’s seismologists then spring to action to review the data. They recalculate the earthquake parameters and, if needed, overwrite the previously posted automatic ones. For magnitude-4.0 and higher earthquakes, we complete our manual review within two hours and issue a news release. Events smaller than magnitude-4.0 are reviewed routinely within a few days.
“HVO posts preliminary information about earthquake location and size (magnitude) as soon as possible after one occurs. Later, we update the information as more data becomes available. Sometimes the reported magnitude changes during this process.
“When the earth shakes, vibrating seismic waves radiate outward from the source. These waves are picked up by sensitive instruments called seismometers, which are located across the state. Seismic data is relayed in near real-time to HVO, where computers trained to look for earthquake patterns keep watch around the clock. When four or more stations detect an earthquake, the computer automatically estimates the location and magnitude of the event.
“If the earthquake magnitude is above 3.0, the computer posts the information to HVO’s website without human intervention. The USGS Earthquake Notification Service then alerts subscribers. This generally happens within five minutes of the earthquake.
“HVO’s seismologists then spring to action to review the data. They recalculate the earthquake parameters and, if needed, overwrite the previously posted automatic ones. For magnitude-4.0 and higher earthquakes, we complete our manual review within two hours and issue a news release. Events smaller than magnitude-4.0 are reviewed routinely within a few days.
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A seismogram illustrates the relation between amplitude and duration
of shaking, which is used by seismologists to compute
earthquake magnitudes. Image from USGS
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“Upon review by a seismologist, the earthquake’s magnitude can go up or down by a few tenths. Different groups, such as the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the USGS National Earthquake Information Center, might also report slightly different magnitudes. To understand these differences, let’s review what magnitude means.
“The concept of earthquake magnitude dates back to 1935, when Charles Richter created a way to compare the relative sizes of earthquakes in southern California. He measured how the amplitude of shaking recorded by seismometers decreased with distance from an earthquake. Using the logarithm of the maximum amplitude, Richter was able to derive a scale that conveyed the wide range of earthquake sizes, which can vary by several orders of magnitude (hence the name). For example, on this scale, the amplitude of a magnitude-4.0 earthquake is ten times higher than that of a magnitude-3.0 earthquake.
“Today, there are numerous types of earthquake magnitudes that take advantage of advances in seismic instrumentation and cover a wide range of situations. For earthquakes higher than about magnitude-5.5, the most common measure of magnitude is called moment magnitude, which relates fundamentally to the energy released by an earthquake's fault motion. For every 0.2 increase in moment magnitude, the energy doubles. For example, a magnitude-6.2 earthquake releases roughly twice as much energy as a magnitude-6.0 event.
“For smaller earthquakes, like those that happen daily in Hawai`i, HVO computes two types of magnitude based on either the duration or amplitude of the shaking recorded by seismometers. Duration magnitude tends to work better for smaller earthquakes (less than about magnitude-2.0) that are located shallower than 20 kilometers (12 miles) beneath the surface. Amplitude magnitude, which is a modern-day formulation of Richter’s magnitude, works better for local earthquakes with magnitudes between about 2.0 and 5.5.
“Any reported magnitude is actually an average of values computed for each seismometer that recorded the earthquake. These values vary depending on distance, direction, instrument and the type of material type along the seismic wave’s path. HVO seismologists evaluate which stations provide the most reliable and objective magnitude estimates, average them together and select either duration or amplitude as the preferred magnitude type for each event.
“Magnitudes can change following a seismologist’s review and analysis of the computer’s automatic magnitude assignment. This process provides the best information available at any given time and offers a window into how the science of real-time seismology unfolds.
“What matters more than a number, however, is what you do if you feel shaking during an earthquake. On Oct. 20, we encourage you to take part in the world’s largest earthquake preparedness exercise by practicing ‘Drop, Cover, and Hold On!’ during the Great Hawai`i ShakeOut.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
“Today, there are numerous types of earthquake magnitudes that take advantage of advances in seismic instrumentation and cover a wide range of situations. For earthquakes higher than about magnitude-5.5, the most common measure of magnitude is called moment magnitude, which relates fundamentally to the energy released by an earthquake's fault motion. For every 0.2 increase in moment magnitude, the energy doubles. For example, a magnitude-6.2 earthquake releases roughly twice as much energy as a magnitude-6.0 event.
“For smaller earthquakes, like those that happen daily in Hawai`i, HVO computes two types of magnitude based on either the duration or amplitude of the shaking recorded by seismometers. Duration magnitude tends to work better for smaller earthquakes (less than about magnitude-2.0) that are located shallower than 20 kilometers (12 miles) beneath the surface. Amplitude magnitude, which is a modern-day formulation of Richter’s magnitude, works better for local earthquakes with magnitudes between about 2.0 and 5.5.
“Any reported magnitude is actually an average of values computed for each seismometer that recorded the earthquake. These values vary depending on distance, direction, instrument and the type of material type along the seismic wave’s path. HVO seismologists evaluate which stations provide the most reliable and objective magnitude estimates, average them together and select either duration or amplitude as the preferred magnitude type for each event.
“Magnitudes can change following a seismologist’s review and analysis of the computer’s automatic magnitude assignment. This process provides the best information available at any given time and offers a window into how the science of real-time seismology unfolds.
“What matters more than a number, however, is what you do if you feel shaking during an earthquake. On Oct. 20, we encourage you to take part in the world’s largest earthquake preparedness exercise by practicing ‘Drop, Cover, and Hold On!’ during the Great Hawai`i ShakeOut.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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| A yard sale at tomorrow's pancake breakfast raises funds to replace Ocean View Community Center's roof. |
OCEAN VIEW’S PANCAKE BREAKFAST tomorrow includes a yard sale. Last Saturday’s sale was so well supported by donors that even highly desirable items went unsold. This will be a second chance for bargain hunters to unearth more treasures in the surplus inventory. If you missed Saturday’s event, be sure to attend the pancake breakfast on Saturday, from 8 – 11 a.m. at the community center on Leilani Circle. Most clothing items are priced at a dollar, and many household items at 50c. Proceeds will go towards a new roof for the community center.
LEARN ABOUT `OHI`A LEHUA SUNDAY at 9:30 a.m. at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about the vital role of the trees in native Hawaiian forests, its many forms and flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk.
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| See www.olvr.hawaii.gov for information about voting. |
VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MONDAY to participate in the Nov. 8 General Election. Registrants must have a current Hawai`i driver’s license or state ID to complete an application online at www.olvr.hawaii.gov.
Applications are also available at libraries and post offices.
Residents can also apply in person at the County Clerk’s office in Hilo.
See hiloelec@hawaiicounty.gov, or call 961-8277.Residents can also apply in person at the County Clerk’s office in Hilo.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
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| See kaucalendar.com. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf. |
