Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016

     Given the duration of this eruption, people who were children when it began are now old enough to be parents, or possibly, grandparents. And, many Island of Hawaiʻi residents have never known a time when Puʻu ʻŌʻō was not erupting.
     During the past 34 years, Kīlauea's East Rift Zone has seen a dizzying array of changes. High lava fountains gave way to tube-fed pāhoehoe flows. Vents opened, fed flows to the ocean, and were abandoned. Neighborhoods were buried by lava, rebuilt, and partly buried again.
     On May 24, 2016, two new flows broke out on the flanks of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone on Kīlauea
Volcano's East Rift Zone. The silvery sheen of new lava erupting from the northern 61f breakout (center) and eastern 61g breakout (upper left) stands out in contrast to the older flows on and around Puʻu ʻŌʻō (right). The 61f flow stagnated within two weeks, but the 61g flow, which advanced downslope and reached the ocean on July 26, 2016, remains active today. USGS photo.
     This past year was no exception. A new vent opened and formed a new lava flow that is still active today.

On May 24, 2016, two new flows broke out on the flanks of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone  on Kīlauea Volcano's East Rift Zone. The silvery sheen of new lava erupting  from the northern 61f breakout (center) and eastern 61g breakout (upper left)  stands out in contrast to the older flows on and around \Puʻu ʻŌʻō (right). The 61f  flow stagnated within two weeks, but the 61g flow, which advanced  downslope  and reached the ocean on July 26, 2016,  remains active today. USGS photo.

     As the East Rift Zone eruption begins its 35th year, let's review what happened over the past 12 months.
     When 2016 began, lava was erupting from the June 27th vent on the north flank of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone. This was the same vent that fed flows toward Pāhoa in 2014 and early 2015.
      During late 2015 and early 2016, however, the vent fed surface breakouts over a broad area up to about 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Puʻu ʻŌʻō. These flows were upslope from communities in the island's lower Puna District, but were relatively weak and posed no threat to infrastructure.
     As 2016 progressed, lava also began to erupt within the small crater atop Puʻu ʻŌʻō, suggesting that more magma was arriving at Puʻu ʻŌʻō than was being erupted. This culminated in two new breakouts on the north and east flanks of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone on May 24. The June 27th flow northeast of Puʻu ʻŌʻō gradually stagnated and ceased over the following week.
     The northern May 24 breakout at Puʻu ʻŌʻō, called episode 61f, was dead by June 4. But the eastern breakout, called episode 61g, captured the entire output from Puʻu ʻŌʻō and kept going. Lava advanced downslope to the southeast, initially at rates of up to several hundred meters (yards) per day, and reached the top of the Pūlama pali on Kīlauea's south flank in late June.
     Spectacular channelized ʻaʻā flows were visible for the next several days as lava streamed down the pali and puddled at its base. By early July, the 61g flow was back on the move and headed toward the ocean.

Multiple flows into the ocean. Photo courtesy of Lava Ocean Tours

   Lava crept across the coastal plain over the following weeks and crossed the gravel emergency access road (constructed in 2014 when flows were threatening Pāhoa) on July 25. The 61g lava flow reached the ocean early the next day and began to build two lava deltas, known as the eastern and western Kamokuna ocean entries.
     The western, and weaker, of the two lava deltas grew to about 6 acres in size before it was abandoned in late September. The eastern Kamokuna lava delta persisted, however, and by the end of 2016 was about 26 acres.
     Kīlauea's East Rift Zone eruption settled in to a relatively consistent pattern of behavior this past year. Lava erupted from the Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent was carried downslope through a lava tube, where it emptied into the ocean. Occasionally, short-lived breakouts of lava occurred along the tube, creating surface flows.
     In a few instances, more substantial breakouts occurred from the vent itself, burying the upper end of the 61g flow field beneath new lava. The largest of these breakouts, to date, occurred on November 21, and sent lava to the east of Puʻu ʻŌʻō. This breakout was still active as of late December, advancing slowly—a few tens of meters (yards) per day—to the southeast along the edge of the older 61g flow. The 61g flows currently pose no threat to Puna communities.
     As the New Year begins, we see no indication that Kīlauea's East Rift Zone eruption is about to change significantly or stop. This leads us to wonder, will it outlast another generation?
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  She is survived by her mother, who lives in Mexico; her son, Erik Linstrom Kawananakoa of Texas; three grandchildren, Nicholas, Alexandra and Lucas; her brothers, Edward, David, Quentin and Pi`ikoi; and an aunt, Marchesa Kapi`olani Kawananakoa Marignoli.
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Hawaiian sunsets help draw more visitors to the Hawaiian Islands. Photo by Ann Bosted

TOURISM ARRIVALS ARE UP with  696,890 visitors arriving in Hawai’i last month - the most ever recorded for the month of November, and a 4.7 percent increase over November 2015. Visitors spent $1.2 billion on the islands, an increase of 5.6 percent compared to November last year, according to preliminary statistics released by the Hawai`i Tourism Authority.  
     “Hawai`i’s tourism industry continued to build upon its momentum in November, recording the state’s best-ever totals for visitor arrivals and spending for the month,” said George Szigeti, CEO and president of HTA. In November, growth in visitor arrivals and higher average daily spending contributed to gains in total visitor spending.
     Visitor spending by tourists from the western U.S. rose 5.1 percent to $457.3 million. Visitor spending from Japan rose 13 percent to $187.5 million. Spending from Canada rose 7.5 percent to $85.3 million in November, while visitor spending from all other international markets rose 11.4 percent to $236.4 million.
     From those traveling from the U.S. East, despite an increase in visitors, lower daily spending led to a 4.5 percent drop in total visitor spending to $246.3 million, compared to November 2015.
     There were 686,970 visitors who came by air, up 4.2 percent, compared to November last year, and 9,920 visitors who came via cruise ships, an increase of 56.8 percent.
     Arrivals by air from U.S. West rose 2.3 percent to 293,744 and U.S. East arrivals rose 4.5 percent to 124,328.
     Arrivals from Japan rose 4.6 percent to 125,982, while visitors from Canada rose 3.1 percent to 44,371 and all other international markets rose 9.5 percent to 98,544.
     “Our state’s tax revenue base continues to benefit from tourism’s success,” Szigeti said. “Through November, Hawai`i’s tourism industry has generated $1.64 billion in state tax revenue, which is $64 million more than last year. December looks to be an outstanding month for tourism and will further add to this total.”
     The HTA said it was the sixth consecutive month with a year-over-year increase in visitor spending on the Islands.
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OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. MEETING is Friday, Dec. 30 at 5 p.m. at Hawaiian Ranchos Office.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY is ongoing through the holidays at Volcano Art Center in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

VOTE FOR THE BEST DECORATED Kilauea Military Camp cottage through the holidays.

NEW YEAR'S DAY BRUNCH is this Sunday, Jan. 1 at Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored buests. Park entrance fees apply 9670835,