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| USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists, along with visiting scientist from other volcano observatories, recently conducted the annual Kīlauea microgravity survey. Gravimeters measure gravitation attraction and they help scientists detect subtle changes in gravity caused by magma movements. USGS scientists also installed new continuous, telemetered gravimeters, on the floor of Kīlauea caldera will allow See more on the volcano below. USGS photo by A. Ellis |
The announcement could reveal whether he would step down from his post representing rural Hawai'i in Congress while he runs for governor. If so, a special election would be held to replace him until the election.
Kahele has said he would rather be working in his home state than the District of Columbia with its divisive political landscape. In recent months he has spent much time in Hawai'i, working on the Red Hill water problem in Honolulu and other issues around the state, casting most of his congressional votes by proxy, which has been allowed by Congress during the pandemic.
He has also kept up his pilot skills with Hawaiian Airlines, where he worked when he was a state Senator and before going to Congress, earning some $20,000 a year piloting long haul flights to and from Japan.
Kahele's chief opponent and frontrunner among candidates who already announced a run for governor would be Lt. Gov. Josh Green. Green too has a second job. A Civil Beat story described Green's weekend employment as two 48-hour shifts a month as an emergency room doctor on Hawai'i Island. Most of those weekend stints have been at Kohala Hospital.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at. www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.
A BEST BUDDIES CHAPTER IS FORMING HERE WITH A FRIENDSHIP WALK IN KAHUKU unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on Saturday. Best Buddies is an international non-profit comprised of volunteers who create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For Saturday's walk, Kahuku is near mile-marker 70.5 on Highway 11 just south of Ocean View. The park opens at 9 a.m. Best Buddies will meet at 9:15 a.m. and begin walking about 9:30 a.m. One of the organizers, Margaret Steacy, of Ocean View, said the walk will be on one of the easier trails, approximately a 2 mile hike with only 100 ft of elevation. The hike takes about an hour.
Steacy said she and her husband were involved in the Best Buddies organization in California before moving here. "It is a fabulous organization. It was exciting to know that there is a chapter on Oahu and Maui and we are working on getting one on the Big Island."
For the Kahuku hike, there will be some bottled water and some sort of energy bar for the walkers. Steacy recommends bringing bottled water, a small snack, hiking stick and sturdy shoes. "There are a few areas on the hike which are rocky and if it's a hot morning, water would be a good to have on hand - no available water on the trail. A windbreaker/rain cover would be good to bring along in case of uncertain weather.
Flyers about Best Buddies and donation sheets will be available, but "You don't have to donate to walk," said Steacy.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at. www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.
TI LEAF LEI MAKING WORKSHOP WITH KAIPO AH CHONG is on Saturday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Niaulani Campus. Ah Chong will teach the making of basic ti rope and inserts to create a full leafy beautiful lei. The class fee is $20/$15 for VAC members plus a $10 supply fee. Pre-registration is required. Register online at volcanoartcenter.org/events/.
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Kahele is the first member of Hawai'i's Congressional delegation to establish offices on a Neighbor Island, locating them in Hilo. In the past, members of Congress representing rural Hawai'i kept their Hawai'i offices on O'ahu.
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| Congressman Kai Kahele will make the announcement on whether he will run for governor. Livestream is at https://fb.me/e/10miUeHI8. |
He has also kept up his pilot skills with Hawaiian Airlines, where he worked when he was a state Senator and before going to Congress, earning some $20,000 a year piloting long haul flights to and from Japan.
Kahele's chief opponent and frontrunner among candidates who already announced a run for governor would be Lt. Gov. Josh Green. Green too has a second job. A Civil Beat story described Green's weekend employment as two 48-hour shifts a month as an emergency room doctor on Hawai'i Island. Most of those weekend stints have been at Kohala Hospital.
Green is remembered in Kaʻū for starting his medical career here after becoming a physician and for captaining the fight against COVID as Lt. Gov. Kahele is known for his Hawaiian roots in the Miloli'i community where his grandfather fished by outrigger canoe for a living. Kai's father, the late state Sen. Gil Kahele and Kai, helped to developed non-profit service organizations around issues of housing, education, health and preservation of ocean resources in Miloli'i and the nearby coastal areas.
As a Congressman, Kahele has met with local farmers regarding land security, pest management and other issues.
Also running on the Democratic ticket is former First Lady of Hawai'i and businesswoman Vicky Cayetano.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at. www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.A BEST BUDDIES CHAPTER IS FORMING HERE WITH A FRIENDSHIP WALK IN KAHUKU unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on Saturday. Best Buddies is an international non-profit comprised of volunteers who create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For Saturday's walk, Kahuku is near mile-marker 70.5 on Highway 11 just south of Ocean View. The park opens at 9 a.m. Best Buddies will meet at 9:15 a.m. and begin walking about 9:30 a.m. One of the organizers, Margaret Steacy, of Ocean View, said the walk will be on one of the easier trails, approximately a 2 mile hike with only 100 ft of elevation. The hike takes about an hour.
Steacy said she and her husband were involved in the Best Buddies organization in California before moving here. "It is a fabulous organization. It was exciting to know that there is a chapter on Oahu and Maui and we are working on getting one on the Big Island."
For the Kahuku hike, there will be some bottled water and some sort of energy bar for the walkers. Steacy recommends bringing bottled water, a small snack, hiking stick and sturdy shoes. "There are a few areas on the hike which are rocky and if it's a hot morning, water would be a good to have on hand - no available water on the trail. A windbreaker/rain cover would be good to bring along in case of uncertain weather.
Flyers about Best Buddies and donation sheets will be available, but "You don't have to donate to walk," said Steacy.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at. www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.
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A) Top left, photo of Halemaʻumaʻu before the 2018 collapse events started with the decade-long active lava lake that formed in 2008. B) Top right, photoafter the 2018 collapse events had dropped the crater floor of Halemaʻumaʻu by more than 1,600 ft (500m) over the course of just 4 months. C) Bottom left, in July 2019 a water lake started to form in the newly deepened Halemaʻumaʻu, and this lake continued to grow over the next year and a half. D) Bottom right, the eruption in Dec. 2020 boiled away the water lake in a single night and continued until May 2021 before another eruption started in Sept. 2021, continuing to the present. All photos from U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory |
THIS WEEK MARKED THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 2018 ERUPTION of Kīlauea. It is the topic of Volcano Watch, the weekly column and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. This week's article was written by research geologist Drew Downs:
Kīlauea's historic 2018 eruption covered much of lower Puna with lava flows and dropped the crater floor of the summit. This anniversary is an appropriate time to reflect on the dynamic landscape we share and the events of the past four years. At the same time, we're considering what these recent changes might mean for future activity at Kīlauea.
Kīlauea's historic 2018 eruption covered much of lower Puna with lava flows and dropped the crater floor of the summit. This anniversary is an appropriate time to reflect on the dynamic landscape we share and the events of the past four years. At the same time, we're considering what these recent changes might mean for future activity at Kīlauea.
For some, Kīlauea Volcano seemed set in its ways, as it had been erupting for 35 years (1983–2018) at Puʻuʻōʻō on the middle East Rift Zone. The summit crater of Halemaʻumaʻu joined the action, and from 2008 to 2018 hosted a lava lake that drew people from around the world to enjoy its stunning views. While
seismographs, tiltmeters, and various other geophysical equipment were recording the beginning of changes at Kīlauea in 2018, the first major visible sign of something out of the ordinary occurred on April 30 with the sudden collapse at Puʻuʻōʻō. Just a few days later, on May 3, seismic activity had migrated beneath Leilani Estates and fissures opened. Before May was over, 24 fissures had erupted and lava flows would continue to inundate parts of lower Puna until September.
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| Lava flows onto a delta in the 2018 eruption. USGS photo |
The summit crater of Halemaʻumaʻu also underwent major change, and its lava lake disappeared during the 2018 eruption. As lava flows in lower Puna drained the summit magma reservoir, Halemaʻumaʻu underwent 62 collapses (some with explosive eruptions). Each incremental collapse was marked by earthquakes that were felt throughout the summit. When the dust settled (and there was a lot of dust), the collapses had lowered the crater floor by more than 500 m (1,600 ft).
The end of the 2018 eruption and caldera collapse events brought a period of quiescence that had been unknown at Kīlauea for over 35 years. It also brought a new and interesting change to the volcano.
For the first time since written records began, a water lake formed within the deepened pit of Halemaʻumaʻu. First noticed in July 2019, the water continued to slowly fill the crater over the next year and a half until it was about 50 m (160 ft) deep.
On the night of Dec. 20, 2020, the water lake boiled away within an hour or two as Halemaʻumaʻu burst into eruption again. Within less than a day the new lava lake was deeper than the water lake had been, and it continued to grow and fill in the crater until May 2021. Yet again, Kīlauea did not stay quiet for long. Halemaʻumaʻu began a new eruption in September 2021; an eruption that continues to this day. These two eruptions have filled Halemaʻumaʻu with over 320 m (1,050 ft) of lava.
The end of the 2018 eruption and caldera collapse events brought a period of quiescence that had been unknown at Kīlauea for over 35 years. It also brought a new and interesting change to the volcano.
For the first time since written records began, a water lake formed within the deepened pit of Halemaʻumaʻu. First noticed in July 2019, the water continued to slowly fill the crater over the next year and a half until it was about 50 m (160 ft) deep.
On the night of Dec. 20, 2020, the water lake boiled away within an hour or two as Halemaʻumaʻu burst into eruption again. Within less than a day the new lava lake was deeper than the water lake had been, and it continued to grow and fill in the crater until May 2021. Yet again, Kīlauea did not stay quiet for long. Halemaʻumaʻu began a new eruption in September 2021; an eruption that continues to this day. These two eruptions have filled Halemaʻumaʻu with over 320 m (1,050 ft) of lava.
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| Lave lakes have come and gone for centuries at Halema'uma'u and were almost constant from 1823 to 1924. This historic photo was taken by Thomas Jaggar. Photo courtesy of USGS/Hawaiian Volcano Observatory |
Nearly continuous lava lake activity occurred for decades at Kīlauea's summit in the 19th century. While the summit eruption within Halemaʻumaʻu doesn't currently show signs of stopping, it can be easy to forget that Kīlauea has the potential to change quickly from one day to the next. Just glancing at the volcanic rocks, ash, and vegetation, or lack thereof, on Kīlauea testifies to inevitable events that can sometimes happen with remarkable speed over the course of months, weeks, or even days.
An important question on the minds of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff is what these recent changes portend for Kīlauea's future? The appearance of the water lake at the summit in 2019 renewed attention on Kīlauea's explosive potential. Native Hawaiians recorded Kīlauea's major explosive events in their oral traditions and the possibility of explosive eruptions had everyone's attention during this time. The dramatic switch to summit lava lake activity within Halemaʻumaʻu, has alleviated much of that concern.
Are we returning to a period of prolonged summit activity similar to the 1800s? Or will future activity be more similar to that in the three decades prior to the start of the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption? This period was marked by numerous small and short-lived periodic eruptions that alternated between Kīlauea's summit and rift zones.
It is not possible to know what exactly lies in store for Kīlauea's future, though history and modern monitoring tools provide clues. While this volcanic environment can be dangerous, devastating, and tragic to behold, it is also inspiring, breathtaking, and commanding. With every change, we learn something new and hope to continue to increase our understanding of Kīlauea.
An important question on the minds of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff is what these recent changes portend for Kīlauea's future? The appearance of the water lake at the summit in 2019 renewed attention on Kīlauea's explosive potential. Native Hawaiians recorded Kīlauea's major explosive events in their oral traditions and the possibility of explosive eruptions had everyone's attention during this time. The dramatic switch to summit lava lake activity within Halemaʻumaʻu, has alleviated much of that concern.
Are we returning to a period of prolonged summit activity similar to the 1800s? Or will future activity be more similar to that in the three decades prior to the start of the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption? This period was marked by numerous small and short-lived periodic eruptions that alternated between Kīlauea's summit and rift zones.
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| Conducting recent gravity surveys. USGS photo |
Volcano Activity Updates: Kīlauea volcano is erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is at WATCH (https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/volcano-hazards/about-alert-levels). Kīlauea updates are issued daily. Over the past week, lava has continued to erupt from the western vent within Halemaʻumaʻu crater. All lava is confined within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated and were last measured at approximately 2,600 tonnes per day (t/d) on May 4. Seismicity is elevated but stable, with few earthquakes and ongoing volcanic tremor. Summit tiltmeters show one minor inflation and deflation trend over the past week. For more information on the current eruption of Kīlauea, see https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/recent-eruption.
Mauna Loa is not erupting and remains at Volcano Alert Level ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent or that progression to an eruption from the current level of unrest is certain. Mauna Loa updates are issued weekly.
This past week, about 62 small-magnitude earthquakes were recorded below the summit and upper elevation flanks of Mauna Loa—the majority of these occurred at shallow depths less than 15 kilometers (9 miles) below sea level. Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements show low rates of ground deformation over the past week. Gas concentrations and fumarole temperatures at both the summit and at
Sulphur Cone on the Southwest Rift Zone have remained stable over the past week. Webcams show no changes to the landscape. For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa, see: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-loa/monitoring.
Mauna Loa is not erupting and remains at Volcano Alert Level ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent or that progression to an eruption from the current level of unrest is certain. Mauna Loa updates are issued weekly.
This past week, about 62 small-magnitude earthquakes were recorded below the summit and upper elevation flanks of Mauna Loa—the majority of these occurred at shallow depths less than 15 kilometers (9 miles) below sea level. Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements show low rates of ground deformation over the past week. Gas concentrations and fumarole temperatures at both the summit and at
Sulphur Cone on the Southwest Rift Zone have remained stable over the past week. Webcams show no changes to the landscape. For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa, see: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-loa/monitoring.
Two earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.1 earthquake 9 km (5 mi) E of Pāhala at 31 km (19 mi) depth on May 3 at 5:41 a.m. HST and a M3.0 earthquake 10 km (6 mi) N of Volcano at 20 km (12 mi) depth on April 30 at 11:07 a.m. HST.
HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea's ongoing eruption and Mauna Loa for any signs of increased activity.
Visit HVO's website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea's ongoing eruption and Mauna Loa for any signs of increased activity.
Visit HVO's website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at. www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.
SEE MORE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO
See The Ka'ū Calendar May edition at
www.kaucalendar.com, on newsstands and in the mail.
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