Volcano Update: Oct. 24, 2019
Authored by: U.S.Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological
Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. This article is by HVO technician Frank Younger.
High Altitude Station Maintenance on Mauna Loa
U.S. Geological Survey trucks pull off the shoulder of Mauna Loa Observatory Road before dawn. I park the Jeep at the helicopter staging area, a flat rubble strip flanked by a’a lava. The air is cool and thin at 3,048 m (10,000 ft) altitude. Our field crew of six from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) keep warm unloading gear. We clear the landing zone for the inbound pilot. We organize
packs, tools and equipment by checklist for the helicopter.
Today’s flight plan will disperse us across Mokuʻāweoweo Caldera and the upper flank of the volcano to rebuild five remote Mauna Loa monitoring stations. Our team of technicians ensures the
continuous transmission of seismic, deformation, and gas emission data from the active, but not currently erupting, volcano. Two geoscientists and I are heading to Sulphur Cone on the Southwest Rift
Zone within the boundaries of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park .
The first light of day spreads over Hawai’i Island. The natural colors of Mauna Kea, Hualālai, and Kohala come alive in the warmth of the sun. Across the channel, the heights of Haleakalā rise above ocean clouds.
I hear beating chopper blades approaching. The helicopter lands in a roaring downdraft. We load cargo for Sulphur Cone, and I strap myself in next to the pilot. He throttles for takeoff, keys coordinates on the GPS, and pulls rotor pitch with his control. The helicopter lifts into the trade wind, banks westward, and nods into forward acceleration.
We navigate along the 10,000 ft (3,048 m) elevation contour of Mauna Loa, with an airborne perspective of the northwest flank. The long, jagged channel of the 1859 lava flow stretches 52 km
(32 miles) down to the sea south of ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay.
Crossing the west flank, we fly above an atmospheric inversion layer. Cloud-swept pāhoehoe cradles patches of hardy native Pukeawe shrub. We hurtle over the trackless wilderness at 110 knots
(126 mph). The dark ridgeline of the Southwest Rift Zone dominates the horizon ahead.
The Sulphur Cone area stands out in bright contrast. It’s a steaming section of the 1950 eruptive fissure at 3,480 m (11,420 ft) elevation. We are dropped off upwind of fumaroles emitting volcanic
gases. The fumes have created crystals including snow-white calcite and canary-yellow sulfur that cover the surroundings.
Our crew hikes over altered rock to monitoring equipment installed near an outgassing fissure. Station MG14_SCN clicks and whirs beneath protective rocks.
The MultiGAS technology inside was developed by USGS Volcano Science Center researchers. It is a field-deployed gas laboratory the size of a suitcase. Sensors measure sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), water vapor (H20), and carbon dioxide (CO2) gas concentrations. Automatic calibration is used to correct sensor drift.
We bring in a replacement MultiGAS to relieve the veteran station instrument. It is scheduled for preventative maintenance at HVO’s Keaʻau workshop, then redeployment to Mokuʻāweoweo Caldera.
My colleague hunts around with a thermometer. She locates a 95 deg C (203 deg F) fumarole and wires a station thermocouple to continuously measure near-surface temperature.
I tend the power station, cleaning solar panels. The wet rag comes away yellow with insoluble sulfur. The anemometer atop the mast gets a scrub, too. I inspect the welded frame and antenna grid for any deterioration beneath a fine coat of crystals.
Our team lead installs the new MultiGAS and communicates with it via laptop. She notes parameters and triggers a calibration cycle. We listen and test the plumbing of pumps and valves as they
operate—all look and sound healthy. She swaps cylinders of calibration gases and replaces desiccant and scrubbing media. I check the tubing manifold connections and raise the sample intake pipe.
We initiate the program for automatic operation. The station will sample and analyze ambient volcanic gases around the clock. Now back online, the data are transmitted on HVO’s radio telemetry network.
Data flows down-rift, around the island, and onto HVO servers nearly instantly. The latency to the database is about 18 milliseconds.
I call HVO Hilo over satellite phone. Our flight follower verifies network connectivity and data quality. I get updates on the other crews’ status around the summit. The mission is running
smoothly. Confident in our work, we request helicopter extraction.
Volcano Activity Updates
Kῑlauea Volcano is not erupting and its USGS Volcano Alert level
remains at NORMAL (https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vh
Updates for Kīlauea are now issued monthly.
Kīlauea deformation and seismicity showed no notable changes over the
past week. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are low at the summit and
below detection limits at Puʻu ʻŌʻō and the lower East Rift Zone
(LERZ). The water pond at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u continues to
slowly expand and deepen.
At or near the 2018 LERZ eruptive fissures, elevated ground
temperatures and minor releases of gas (steam, tiny amounts of
hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide) persist. These are typical
post-eruption conditions and are expected to be long-term.
Hazards remain at the LERZ and summit of Kīlauea. Closures and
warnings in these areas should be heeded. The 2018 lava flows are
primarily on private property; please be respectful and do not enter
or park on private property.
Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at
ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent
or that progression to an eruption is certain.
This past week, about 80 small-magnitude earthquakes (all less than
M2.2) were detected beneath the upper elevations of Mauna Loa.
Deformation measurements show continued summit inflation. Volcanic gas
emission and fumarole temperature readings have been slightly elevated
from measurements several weeks ago due to maintenance on the
instrument sensors in mid-September.
Mauna Loa updates are issued weekly. For more info on the status of
the volcano, click here.
There were 2 events with 3 or more felt reports in the Hawaiian
islands during the past week. A magnitude-3.0 earthquake 14 km (9 mi)
S of Volcano at 2 km (1 mi) depth occurred on October 17, 2019 at
08:55 p.m. HST. A magnitude-3.4 earthquake 14 km (9 mi) SE of Volcano
at 0 km (0 mi) depth occurred on October 17, 2019 at 05:30 a.m. HST.
HVO continues to closely monitor both Kīlauea and Mauna Loa for any
signs of increased activity.
Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to [email protected].
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