Earthquakes in Puna

Last two days we have had nearly non-stop seismic activity, and by that I do mean "non-stop" as the attached Hawaii Volcano Observatory map shows. But Phil has a very accurate earthquake monitoring system that registers AUDIBLE earthquake activity!

Phil's marble collection registers every small quake

The reason for all this activity is that there has been a collapse of part of the structure of the Pu'u O'o vent where lava has been flowing from Kilauea for over 30 years. All of a sudden, because of this collapse, lava has stopped flowing from this location....which means it is going somewhere new!! And, at this point, no one is able to predict just where all that molten lava will be coming out next -- but it will eventually.

So, living on the edge of this living land means that rather than watching the latest ridiculous T-Tweet, all of us Punatics are following reports by HVO, and fly-overs of the area. We have a very active Civil Defense network that keeps us all advised of changes in the situation like the message below.

In the meantime, life goes on -- Phil is making sawdust and I am headed out to the garden for a little weeding.

 This is a Civil Defense message for Tuesday afternoon, May 1, 2018 at 4.

The Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory reports increased shallow earthquake activity for Kilauea Volcano below Pu’u O’o in Puna District.
This means an outbreak of lava in a new location could occur. While it is not possible to predict where an outbreak could occur, the area east of Pu’u O’o is a possible location.
Due to the increased seismic activity, the following are issued:

• Department of Parks and Recreation has shut down the lava viewing area in Kalapana due to the proximity to the increased hazardous activity.
• Lower Puna area residents are advised to stay informed by listening to the radio, Civil Defense text alerts and social media sites.
• For up to date scientific information, go to active links on our Civil Defense website and the Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory website.

Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatories and your Hawaii County Civil Defense will continuing to monitor the situation throughout the night. You will be informed as conditions change. Thank you for listening.
This is your Hawai’i County Civil Defense Agency. 

Earth Moving!

Earth Move Under My Feet!               

http://earthquaketrack.com/r/hawaii-hawaii/recent

Here on the "Island of Puna" our lives just now are impacted daily by what is happening across the surface of the land. While lava is still flowing (with fits and starts) it IS flowing and while our focus is on what’s happening above ground, there’s also a lot of action happening just below ground too.  Earthquakes happen in Hawaii all the time, and rather than being deeply submerged at the base of tectonic plates, most of them are related to Pele’s constant movement. (Most are only 2-4 km below the surface.) 

Lilikoi Fruit and Red Potatoes

Yesterday, we had another kind of below-ground experience as we dug up our first potatoes!!  It was an experiment that my grandmother would have approved of; as a mid-west farmer in the early 1900’s the land supplied all their needs from cows to chickens, from fruits to vegetables and her daily life began at 4am and re-defines our notion of a 24/7 work week!

So I think of her as we begin to harvest from our own garden.  Yesterday we also picked another batch of lilikoi fruit from our fast-growing vine, and pulled up a small but handsome batch of potatoes.  Oddly enough, they were the same blush of color.  Yesterday I also trimmed the branches of our maple-leaf hibiscus – a deep crimson color, so our table is blessed with these beautiful hues for our fall harvest.  Malalo!  Malama ka ‘Aina!

Earthquake in Leilani!

Our subdivision is the football shaped area - three craters are circled.

Night before last there was an earthquake right here in Leilani Estates.  It measured 2.6 -- which is not a lot if you lived in California, but it was only 3 miles deep -- and 4 blocks from our house -- under three tiny craters!

The land here in Puna is very very new -- much of it less than 500 year old, and some of it is less than 50 years old.  This means that there are lots of small craters in this area; many are hidden from view due to the tropical landscape, but an aerial view or a topo map will reveal them.

Our house (left side) is circled in blue -- just below the cloud.

The earthquake the other night in the wee morning hours was centered right here just a few blocks from our house, near three small craters shown in the aerial map.

(From Left to Right, they are Kahuwai Crater, Pu'u Lena Crater, and Pawai Crater.

These three maps will give you an idea of their location and the proximity to our house.

Our house (also circled in blue above) is four blocks west of the craters, and just below the cloud.  I have a girlfriend who has visited a Hawaiian family who lives on the edge of one of these small craters which is now covered with rich forest and jungle.  Hopefully one day we can go explore them since they are so close.

Note the "place name" on the topo map -- this area was once called "Keahialaka" by the Maoli Hawaiians.