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Saturday, June 23, 2018

Puna Eruption Update


As of now, the eruption in Puna  is ongoing with no immediate end in sight. Voluminous lava is flowing in a channel and has completely filled in Kapoho Bay. Over 600 hundred homes have been lost due to the lava flow. Explosions have been occurring at Halemaumau Crater on a daily basis. These explosions have compromised the structural integrity of Jaggar Museum  and all relics have been removed from the museum. In all probability the museum will have to be moved to another location. The National Park has been closed for the past six weeks and its reopening will not occur until well into the future.
The effect of the eruption on the Kona area largely depends on the winds. If the trades are active the Sulfur Dioxide and particulate concentrations are bearable for almost everyone. If the trades stop, then the high concentrations of those contaminants become dangerous. Consequently one has to be aware of meteorological conditions.
The end of the eruption cannot be predicted. The only encouraging sign that I see is that the time between explosions at Halemaumau has increased, so that it appears to be taking longer for pressure to build up  and cause an explosion. That, of course, says nothing about the lava flowing in Puna.