Photo & Video Chronology - Kilauea Archive

19 December 2002

More from the entries

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Left. Full Cold Moon looks down on largest new lava delta between Highcastle (background) and Lae`apuki. Lava is cascading down cliff onto delta, which has more than ten entry sites on it. 0611 Right. Looking from Highcastle toward front of new delta. Glow from an entry backlights steep front of delta. 0537.

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Left. Very active front of delta, looking northwest toward Highcastle. Width of view is several tens of meters. 0625. Right. Similar to left. 0636.

20 December 2002

From sea cliff to shining sea

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Left. Looking toward dawn from Highcastle, showing new lava delta in process of creation. Lava cascades down old sea cliff, spreads across surface of delta and crusts to form tubes, and enters water from small tubes. Width of view, about 50 m. 0601. Right. Several entry points where lava falls from tubes into the sea. Each fall is about 2 m high. 0529.

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Plume of laze (lava haze or dilute hydrochloric acid laced with tiny pieces of glass) rises from front of West Highcastle lava delta. On-shore zephyr blows laze across hiking route. In large view, note photographer standing safely on sea cliff. Looking west from Highcastle, 0619.

Before and after shots of Wilipe`a lava delta

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Wilipe`a lava delta before and after collapse on December 15. Perspectives of images are very different, but this is best comparison we have so far. Left. December 13, before collapse. Looking northwest at delta. Note rounded point on delta and laze plume coming from active breakouts. Right. December 20, after collapse. Looking north at delta. Note broad cove in central part of delta, created when 18.5 acres collapsed into the water. Laze rises from entry.

22 December 2002

A delta grows at Kilauea

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Left. View from Highcastle of new delta (mostly obscured by laze) and of flow fed by cascade and spreading onto black sand beach. Note photographer on beach in lower right (see large image). 0638. Right. Similar view as that to left, but lighter. Photographer is now just to right of lobe of lava on beach (see last image of today for closer view of this lobe and photographer.) 0700

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Left. Lava drops onto new black sand beach from northwest end of new delta. 0658. Right. Looking along front of new delta, southeast of left view. Note narrow lava cascade in background. 0700.

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Left. Southeastern part of new lava delta, with cascades behind. 0546. Right. Flow creeping across black sand beach, with kneeling photographer for scale. This is same flow as shown in left image in next row above. 0659.

24 December 2002

Enjoying Christmas Eve at Pele's delta

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Left. Looking northwestward along front of new lava delta from site of last month's West Lae`apuki entry. 0547. Right. Similar view as that to left, but later. 0609. Surface stream in both images about 8 m long.

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Left. Almost stately lava drop into sea. Free-falling stream is 2-3 m high. 0631. Right. Looking same direction as in previous three images, in predawn light. Highcastle sea cliff in background. 0641.

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Left. Closer view of front of lava delta. 0643. Right. Closer yet, showing entries at front of delta. 0642

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Closer view yet of front of lava delta, with two spigots turned on. 0647.

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Surface breakout just starting in flow that feeds nearest lava on delta, about 8 m from lip of sea cliff. Large plate of crust, about 1 m across, has just broken away from rest of flow, releasing lava stored within flow. 0657:56.

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Only 8 seconds later, lava has moved 1 m or more down moderate slope. Plate of crust is floating along for the ride. 0658:04.

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Ten seconds later, plate of crust is still intact (upper left), and lava continues to surge ahead. 0658:14.

26 December 2002

Boxing Day at the edge of the island

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Left. Lava falls from three spigots into water at front of new delta, as gush farther along front shows how wide active delta is. Each fall is about 2 m high. Viewed from Highcastle. 0551. Right. Looking across new delta toward lightening sky. Note small breakouts on surface of delta. 0613.

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Left. Medium and large images show glow from three deltas. New delta is on right. West Highcastle has large plume of laze. Over flat West Highcastle delta, pinprick of glow shines from Wilipe`a. 0634. Right. Early-morning every-morning photographer with long lens tracks activity at new lava delta rather than dawning sky. 0636

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Left. Objects of photographer's attention, two lava cascades plummet onto small steep beach below front of delta. Height of largest cascade, 3-4 m. Water just sloshes up to base of largest cascade. 0642. Right. Steam obscures farthest cascade, but largest is spilling lava down beach behind withdrawing wave swash. 0643.

27 December 2002

A breakout and innocents abroad

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Left. Lava stream flows down pre1995 sea cliff from breakout point near photographer. 0651. Right. Looking down the same stream, from near where photographer in left image was standing. 0657.

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Left. Plates of crust float down narrow stream shown in upper two images. 0638. Right. Closer view of same stream. 0640.

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Left. Toe of lava slowly advancing at tip of flow fed by cascade shown above. Note stretched and broken bubbles near top of toe and wrinkles developing in crust at base. Height of image, about 40 cm. 0648. Right. People (innocents abroad?) on edge of active lava delta between Highcastle and Lae`apuki. Note lava spigots on point near top of image. 0709.

29 December 2002

From pali to coast

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Left. Tongues of Mother's Day flow high on Pulama pali. Breakouts from above ridge crest supply lava to pali. Note smoky air from fires started by tongues. Viewed from Highcastle. 0633. Right. Looking southeast from Highcastle, showing Lae`apuki and entry at front of new delta. 0628.

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Left. Plume of laze rises from two entry clusters, west and east, at front of West Highcastle lava delta. Viewed from Highcastle. 0640. Right. Small-moderate-size explosions taking place at east entry cluster. Large view shows parabolic tracks of spatter. 0641.

31 December 2002

Mother's Day flow on Pulama pali

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View of Pulama pali from same spot (Highcastle) with same magnification as first image for December 29. Lava has descended the pali in the past two days and is flowing across the gentle slope above Paliuli. The highest visible incandescence in this image is at about the elevation of the main incandescence in the image for December 29. 0546.

December 27, 2002; 0643. Lava pours down pre1995 sea cliff. See stills above for more information. Note large file size. Warning: turn down your sound; lots of wind noise. QuickTime mov (4.7 mb) Windows avi (3.5 mb)

Map shows lava flows erupted during the 1983-present activity of Pu`u `O`o and Kupaianaha (see large map). Lava from the Mother's Day flow (red flow on west side of flow field) reached the sea at West Highcastle early on July 19, at Wilipe`a early on July 21, and at Highcastle on August 8. From near the southwest base of Pu`u `O`o, the Mother's Day flow passes along the west side of the flow field and into the forest, where it started a large wildfire in May that continued into late July. By June 10, the Mother's Day flow had reached the base of Paliuli, the steep slope and cliff below Pulama pali and just above the coastal flat. At the base of Paliuli, the Mother's Day flow abruptly spread laterally in a series of small budding flows to cover an area nearly 2 km wide, gradually moving seaward until the West Highcastle and Wilipe`a lobes finally reached the ocean and started building benches. Activity at West Highcastle ended in early August, but entry began soon thereafter at Highcastle, eventually burying tiny kipuka of the Chain of Craters Road. The Wilipe`a entry died away slowly and had ended by mid-August. Highcastle and neighboring Highcastle Stairs entries ended on about August 23. For a time there were no active entries. Then Wilipe`a was reactivated on September 3 and remains active as of November 25. West Highcastle likewise renewed its activity on September 16-17, died away during the night of September 18-19, and returned soon thereafter to continue to time of mapping. East arm of Mother's Day flow branched from Highcastle lobe in late October and sent three fingers into ocean at Highcastle on November 15, West Lae`apuki on November 19, and Lae`apuki on November 20. Of these, only Lae`apuki (the eastern of the two entries labeled "Lae`apuki" on map) was still active on November 25, but it had stopped by November 29.

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.