Photo & Video Chronology - Kilauea Archive

23 December 2000

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A thick `a`a flow descended from Pulama pali into a vegetated kipuka and is bounded to the west by a 1985 `a`a flow. The flow is igniting trees and causing large, though infrequent, methane explosions heard and felt tens or even hundreds of meters away.

All active lava is pahoehoe on the coastal plain well below Pulama pali. Some of the lobes are actively budding toes that move along the length of the present flow. As shown at the right, sections of the flow are also forming new breakouts during  pulses of increased lava supply.

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Left: These coastal plain pahoehoe flows are small and slow-moving breakouts at the edge of the recently active flow field. The flows have already come down a low pali below the 250-foot elevation and are creeping eastward. Right: The new pahoehoe field continues eastward, bounded on both the east and west by large 1985 `a`a flows.

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The Kamokuna bench has neither a steam plume nor lava. The feeder tube above Pulama pali collapsed during the pause of December 15-17, cutting off supply of lava to Kamokuna.

Large map Map shows lava flows (red) active in September 2000 above and on Pulama pali and on the coastal plain, as well as flows erupted earlier from Pu`u `O`o and Kupaianaha. The eastern part of the active flow field (orange) extended to the Royal Gardens private access road on January 11 and entered the sea near Waha`ula on February 3-14, 2000. That flow stopped in  mid-August. A new flow (red) descended  Pulama pali and crossed the coastal plain in September, and lava continues (early December) still entering the sea at Kamokuna.

Eruption-viewing opportunities change constantly, refer to the HVO home page for current information. Those readers planning a visit to Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes can get much useful information from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.