Kaʻū News Briefs Thursday, June 14, 2018

S02, other gasses, and particles are blown from Fissure 8 in lower Puna down the coast, and can contribute to vog in Kaʻū. This morning, June 14,  a USGS overflight shows Fissure 8 viewed from the north at 7:50 AM. The cone is roughly 50 m (165 ft) high at is peak, and a plume of sulfur  dioxide and other volcanic gases rises as an orange tinge from the erupting lava fountains (hidden within the cone). Lava is still flowing out  of the vent unabated as a full channel. To the left of the cone, a standing wave of lava can be seen in the channel. USGS photo

"THERE IS NOT OLIVINE RAINING FROM THE SKY," said University of Hawai‘i-Hilo volcanologist Cheryl Gansecki during today's daily press briefing on volcanic activity. Gansecki addressed a viral tweet and stories about olivine gems falling from the sky from the volcano in Hawai‘i. She said photos accompanying the stories do not match what scientists are seeing in lower Puna. They more closely match the olivine at Green Sand Beach in Ka‘ū.
     Gansecki made it clear that olivine sampled in lower Puna is tiny and embedded in tephra and not of the size that created Green Sand Beach. Green Sand Beach olivine is much larger and was embedded and separated from Picrite lava, she explained.

Green Sand beach olivine in Ka‘ū is of a different type than the olivine found in lower Puna during the current eruption. Photo by Peter Anderson

     Gansecki and her U.H. Hilo students and staff are are able to chemically analyze lava samples quickly for USGS. Their findings on olivine chemistry are leading the USGS to think that the lava now in lower Puna is from the recent movement of magma from Halema‘uma‘u and Kīlauea  summit.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

WHERE DOES THE PUBLIC WANT MORE AIR QUALITY MONITORING STATIONS? This is the question asked by the state Department of Health. DOH plans to install ten more permanent monitoring stations to measure fine particles (PM2.5) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) on Hawai‘i Island. Residents can suggest locations by emailing DOH’s Clean Air Branch at cab@doh.hawaii.gov by Wednesday, June 27.

Air monitor stations can cost $120,000. Photo from DOH

    There are five permanent stations on Hawai‘i Island: Hilo, Mountain View, Pāhala, Ocean View, and Kona. A temporary station is at the Nā‘ālehu Fire Station. Among the candidates for the ten new stations are Kona and Kohala.     

     When all of the stations are in place, DOH’s ambient air monitoring network will operate 25 stations statewide, including two National Park Service stations at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
     "When fully operational, the additional air quality monitoring stations will provide real-time data from different areas of the island so emergency responders can advise residents and visitors on appropriate actions they can take to protect their health and safety," says a statement from Department of Health.
     “The input we have received from residents during community meetings has been invaluable,” said state health director, Dr. Bruce Anderson. “We want to encourage ongoing dialogue so we can better address their concerns and ensure an effective response.”
     Air quality monitoring stations measure particulates, or pollution, including ash in the air, and gases such as sulfur dioxide. Monitors closer to the Kīlauea East Rift Zone also gauge levels of hydrogen sulfide in the air. Data are used primarily to provide air pollution updates to the public in a timely manner, identify trends, forecast air quality, correlate air quality to health effects, guide emergency management activities, and support air pollution studies.

Overflight this morning of lower Puna, which shows Fissure 8 continuing to  roar, spreading fumes. See video on Ikaika Marzo’s Facebook.

     Anderson noted that each air quality monitoring station contains sophisticated equipment that yields reliable data for informed decision-making. A fully-loaded station with a shelter can cost as much as $120,000 each. Site modifications that include security and fencing or electrical access can add to this cost. Installing a station typically takes from a few months up to a year to complete, but DOH is speeding up the process to obtain air quality data faster, said Anderson.
     He said that selecting an air quality monitoring station is based on rigorous U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulatory requirements. The following are factors considered in the decision-making process:
     Atmospheric conditions: This includes the effects of buildings, terrain, and heat sources or sinks on air trajectories that can produce anomalies of pollutant concentrations. Meteorology is also considered in determining the geographic location of a site, as well as the height, direction, extension of sampling probes, and prevailing wind conditions.
     Logistics: This includes procurement, site security, set-up and maintenance, and transportation of material and personnel for the monitoring operation.

A series of wide-angle webcam images, captured by a camera in HVO's observation tower  between June 1 and June 10, shows ongoing subsidence around Halema‘uma‘u at the  summit of Kīlauea. See the animated GIF

     Security risks: DOH is considering installing air quality monitoring sites at schools, since they offer secure areas to minimize the threats of theft and vandalism. As additional benefits, the schools will have access to data to determine the best actions for students, such as sheltering in place, and whether it is safe to go outdoors for recess. It can also serve as a learning tool for the students. 
    Economics: DOH considers the economics of each air quality monitoring site, including the resources required for site acquisition, site preparation, data collection activities, instrumentation, installation, maintenance, data retrieval, data analysis, quality assurance, and data interpretation.

The latest photos of Halema`uma`u, where the lava lake was enjoyed by onlookers for years, shows much of the floor of the crater gone, and the deepest part of the crate now 1,000 feet below the crater rim, as the rim and walls slump inward. USGS photo

     "The community should base their recommendations for air quality monitoring station locations on these factors, and email their suggestions to the DOH’s Clean Air Branch cab@doh.hawaii.gov by Wednesday, June 27," said a DOH statement.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

EVENTS AT THE SUMMIT of Kīlauea over the past few weeks dramatically reshaped Halema‘uma‘u, as show in in aerial photographs taken this week. Only part of Halema‘uma‘u Crater floor remains, having subsided 100 m (about 300 ft) during the past couple weeks. Ground cracks circumferential to the crater rim cut across the parking lot for the former Halema‘uma‘u visitor overlook (closed since 2008). The deepest part of Halema‘uma‘u is now about 300 m (1,000 ft) below the crater rim. The Halema‘uma‘u crater rim and walls continue to slump inward and downward with
ongoing subsidence at Kīlauea's summit.   

     At 3:19 a.m. today, another small explosion occurred at Kīlauea's summit, producing a plume which rose to 6,000 ft above sea level. "This event and many of its precursory earthquakes were felt widely in the Volcano area. Inward slumping of the rim and walls of Halemaʻumaʻu continues in response to ongoing subsidence at the summit," reported Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
     Sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano's summit have dropped to levels that are about half those measured prior to the onset of the current episode of eruptive activity. This gas and minor amounts of ash are being transported downwind, with small bursts of ash and gas accompanying intermittent explosive activity.
     For forecasts of where ash would fall under forecast wind conditions, consult the Ash3D model output here: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/ash_information.html. Information on volcanic ash hazards and how to prepare for ash fall maybe found at http://www.ivhhn.org/information#ash (health impacts) or https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanic_ash/

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Earthquake crack on Hwy 11. NPS photo

HIGHWAY 11 REPAIRS IN HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK begin next week. Jessica Ferracane, parks spokesperson, said that work to repair damage caused by seismic activity to Highway 11, which runs through the park, will begin on the Hilo side of the Park entrance. She said the road will not be closed, but motorists are advised that flaggers will be directing traffic.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

FEMA ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS who have lost their homes or access to their homes due to volcanic activity since May 3, was approved today by the President of the United States. Approval of yesterday's request from Gov. David Ige means that qualifying residents may receive assistance from the federal government’s full scope of individual assistance programs to address issues such as shelter needs, unemployment, trauma, and legal matters, said a statement from the governor.