Dark smoke rises from asphalt burning as hot pahoehoe lava moves into Harry Brown Park, a favorite playground of people living on the south coast of Kilauea Volcano and in the community of Kalapana, Hawaii. The lava completely covered the park and most of Kalapana with lava flows as thick as 15-25 m.

During eruptions of Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, scientists of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory provide detailed information on lava movement needed by the Hawaii County Civil Defense and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to make decisions regarding evacuation, road closures, and locations of safe tourist vantage points.

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• Lava flows cover Kalapana, Hawai`i, in 1986 and 1990