In July of 2007, the activity
at Kilauea volcano drastically changed. For years, the lava flowed
through tubes and made its way to the ocean where it created
new land along the coastline. Now, the lava does not enter the
ocean at all and it actually flows outside the boundaries of
the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and into a very remote area
of state forest. The only good way to get a look at this new
activity is by helicopter.
I took two overflights to survey
this recent activity which consisted of surface lava flows and
raised lava ponds.
Lava
Flows
Very fluid lava burping up through
a weak spot in the lava flow.
Surface flows spreading downhill.
Fissures appearing in the surface
crust of the lava flows.
Smooth Pahoehoe lava flows.
A broad view of the lava flows
from the helicopter.
This series of flows is in a
very remote area, away from the national park.