Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016

The Aug. 6 rockfall that caused an explosion at Kilauea's summit, leaving a light-colored scar, was one of several
that have occurred since 2008. See more below. Photo from USGS/HVO

SEVERAL HEALTH RISK behaviors and health conditions in Hawai`i County were higher than those in the rest of the state in 2015, according to the State of Hawai`i Data Book published this week. An average of 20.1 percent of Hawai`i County residents smoked, compared to 12.4 to 14.3 percent in other counties. At 19.8 percent, Hawai`i County residents’ lack of physical activity was lower than only Honolulu County, at 20.3 percent. More than 38 percent of Hawai`i County residents were overweight. Other counties reported rates from 32.7 to 36.2 percent.

Hawai`i County had a slightly higher rate of residents with diabetes, at 10 percent. Rates ranged from 8.7 in Maui County to 9.9 percent in Honolulu County. Kidney disease was also higher in Hawai`i County, where the rate of 4.8 percent compared to 3.2 percent in Maui County, 4.2 percent in Honolulu County and 4.7 percent in Kaua`i County.

See more at dbedt.hawaii.gov.
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“WHAT IF HAWAI`I ELECTRIC Light Company on the Big Island was converted to the Hawai`i Island Electric Cooperative?” Life of the Land executive director Henry Curtis asks on his blog at www.ililani.media. “What if the Big Island began an aggressive campaign to grow and harvest vegetation for biofuel?”

According to Curtis, “even if homegrown biofuel cost slightly more than petroleum or liquefied natural gas, each dollar would move between Hawai`i Island residents. Each dollar that is spent on island adds $2-3 of yearly economic activity, benefiting all residents.

“The biofuel production would be by or similar to Pacific Biodiesel, a successful local company which relies on clean local production, rather than large-scale proposals such as by Hu Honua or `Aina Koa Pono.

“Hawai`i Island also has more than half of the land-based recoverable wind resources that exist in the entire Hawai`i archipelago.

Henry Curtis

“Hawai`i Island also has dozens of sites ripe for pumped storage hydro, with elevation changes of 6,000 feet or more between upper and lower reservoirs. Excessive nighttime wind can (be used to) pump water uphill. The water can provide short-term reliability for intermittent wind and solar resources, and can also provide added electric supply for evening demand.

“Thus, the acquisition of HELCO by a cooperative might be a boom to local agriculture, to the biofuel industry, support economic growth and put an end to the fight over geothermal.
“A win-win-win-win for residents on the Big Island.”
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THE AUG. 6 EXPLOSIVE EVENT at Kilauea Volcano’s summit was just one among many, according to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s current issue of Volcano Watch.

“The explosive event at Halema`uma`u Crater’s lava lake on Aug. 6, 2016, was the latest in a series that began in 2008, the article states. “It is useful to view the event in the context of the entire series and to consider if another is likely.
“The current summit eruption started explosively on March 19, 2008, when a rockfall temporarily impeded the release of volcanic gas from a new vent. Pressure built up, and an explosion ensued a few minutes later. The erupted material consists entirely of older rocks from past eruptions; the gas came from magma not yet in the vent.

“Seven more explosive events took place between April 9 and Oct. 14, 2008. All involved both old rocks and new magma, which had risen into the new vent.

“Since 2008, 19 explosive events deposited spatter on the rim of Halema`uma`u Crater. Many other smaller events weren’t large enough, or weren’t located close enough to the crater rim, to produce a recognizable deposit.

“Every day, Pele’s hair, Pele’s tears, tiny hollow spherules and other bizarre shapes are formed by thousands of gas bubbles bursting in the lake. Such bursts are technically explosive, but they constitute only background activity.

“In this Volcano Watch, we consider only those explosive events that left a significant deposit on the rim of Halema`uma`u. How can we rank these events in terms of size?

“Volcanologists use the Volcano Explosivity Index to classify explosive eruptions by the volume of erupted material. The VEI, as currently defined, ranges from 8 to minus 6 (-6). A VEI of 8 has a volume of 1 trillion cubic meters or more – a cube 10,000 meters (more than 6 miles) on a side! A VEI of -6 has a volume of 0.1 – 0.01 cubic meters (a few ice cubes).

The Aug. 6 explosive event deposited molten lava and solid
rock fragments on the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater.
Photo from USGS/HVO

“Three of the 2008 explosive events rate as VEI -2 (100–1,000 cubic meters; a house and garage), four as VEI -3 (10–100 cubic meters; a moderate-size living room), and one as VEI -4 (1–10 cubic meters; much smaller than an average room).

“All explosive events since 2008 are either VEI -3 or VEI -4, mostly near the border between the two classes. None comes close to matching the three larger 2008 events. The Aug. 6 event rates a VEI of -3.
“Another important factor is the depth below the crater rim at which the explosive event takes place. For a given size, more material will reach the rim of Halema`uma`u if the depth is shallower; the ejected material has less distance to travel.
“We don’t know the depths of the explosive events in 2008 or the two in 2009, except that they were certainly more than 150 meters (492 feet). In contrast, all explosive events have been shallower than 150 m since 2011, when frequent measurements of the depth to the lava lake were started using a laser rangefinder. For example, the Aug. 6 event occurred at a depth of 125 m (410 ft).
“Three explosive events in April-May 2015 took place when the lake level was unusually high, 85-90 m (279-295 ft) below the Halema`uma`u Crater rim. Two of those events were so small that spatter might not have reached the rim had the explosion been deeper.
“All the explosive events were triggered by rockfalls from the walls of Overlook crater, which contains the lava lake. Those walls are becoming more stable with time, as overhangs are destroyed. Evidence of increasing stability is the low amount of solid rock material erupted daily from the crater, now averaging less than five percent of the total daily ejecta.
“Nonetheless, unstable portions of the wall remain. One is under the old visitor overlook on the Halema`uma`u Crater rim. Even small explosive events caused by failure of this part of the wall can throw spatter onto the overlook area. That happened on Jan. 8 and Aug. 6 of this year. Had these events taken place farther away, as did most earlier ones, the amount of spatter that fell at the overlook would have been much less.
“Eventually this part of the wall will stabilize, but it probably hasn’t yet. We will not be surprised if another shower of spatter lands in the overlook area in the next few months.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov.
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KA`U HIGH GIRLS volleyball players began their season this week. Waiakea overcame their host Trojans Tuesday with scores of 14-25, 8-25 10 to 25. On Thursday, Ka`u again played at home, losing to HPA 9-25, 7-25 and 24-25.

The Trojans are at Ehunui in Kona today for competition that began at 10 a.m.

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JOIN KA`U HIGH ALUMNI & FRIENDS for their 15th annual potluck reunion tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All alumni and interested people are invited to attend and enjoy a day of fun, good food and live music.
For more information, call Margaret Ann Cabudol at 928-8164 or James Yamaki at 969-6828.

PAHALA HONGWANJI’S FIRST BON DANCE of the 21st century takes place tomorrow. Service begins at 4 p.m., with dancing at 5 p.m.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.