Hawaii volcano belches new ash plume as
geothermal wells secured
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[May 24, 2018]
By Marco Garcia
PAHALA, Hawaii (Reuters) - The restive
Kilauea Volcano belched clouds of ash into the skies over Hawaii's Big
Island twice more on Wednesday as civil defense authorities reported
that pressurized geothermal wells at a nearby power plant had been
spared from approaching lava.
The latest back-to-back upheavals of ash from the main summit crater of
Kilauea -- one before dawn and another several hours later -- came on
the 21st day of what geologists rank as one of the biggest eruption
cycles in a century from one of the world's most active volcanoes.
The earlier ash plume rose to a height of 8,000 feet (2,438 meters),
while the later one reached about 5,000 feet (1,524 meters), authorities
said.
Intermittent explosions of ash from the summit, believed to be driven by
underground bursts of steam deep inside the throat of the crater vent,
are occurring about twice a day, with smaller blasts in between, U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) vulcanologist Wendy Stovall told reporters.

The Hawaii County Civil Defense agency warned in its latest bulletin
that residents downwind of Kilauea should take care to avoid exposure to
ash, which can cause eye irritation and breathing difficulties,
particularly in people with respiratory problems.
"The ash has just been nonstop every day since the summit has been
erupting," said Tiahti Fernandez, 24, as she sat in a car parked outside
her father-in-law's home in the tiny farming village of Pahala, 26 miles
(42 km) southwest of the summit crater.
"Every day we have to wash our cars and wash down the patio because the
ash just covers everything," she said over the crowing of four roosters
tethered to a chicken coop in the yard. "The air quality has been so bad
that everybody has been walking around with a (dust) mask."
A fine layer of brownish-gray ash coated vehicles and other surfaces,
and an ash plume rising from the volcano summit was visible in the
distance through the hazy air.
Emissions of sulfur dioxide gas, harmful if inhaled, also remained at
high levels from newly opened lava-spewing fissures in the ground
running through populated areas on the eastern flank of the volcano,
authorities said.

"Residents in the affected area should be prepared to take leave of the
area with little notice due to gas or lava inundation," the civil
defense bulletin warned.
CRISIS AVERTED AT GEOTHERMAL PLANT
One potential hazard that appeared to have been brought under control
was at the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) plant, which provides about a
quarter of the Big Island's electricity.
Lava from an active fissure nearby had flowed onto the property early
this week, posing the risk of toxic gases being released in the event
molten rock encroached into any of several pressurized deep-underground
wells.
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An ash cloud billows from the Halemaumau crater during the eruption
of the Kilauea Volcano in Volcano, Hawaii, U.S., May 23, 2018.
REUTERS/Marco Garcia

Utility crews racing to quench the wells with cold water and plug
them with mud had managed to mostly secure the site. The civil
defense agency reported on Wednesday, "there is no immediate threat
to any of the wells at PGV."
The facility also received a respite from Mother Nature.
Accumulations of cooled, hardened lava created a thick, 30-foot
(9.14-meter) high wall of solid volcanic rock channeling fresh lava
streams from fissures to the south, away from the PGV plant, USGS
scientists said.
Authorities also were monitoring hazards from noxious clouds of acid
fumes, steam and fine glass-like particles -- called laze -- emitted
when lava flows pour into the ocean on the island's southern end.
Laze -- a term combining the words "lava" and "haze" -- is formed
when molten lava, reaching temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit
(1,093 Celsius), reacts with sea water. Although potentially fatal
if inhaled, Stovall said the danger was confined to the immediate
vicinity of laze plumes themselves.
Kilauea rumbled back to life on May 3 as it began extruding lava and
sulfur dioxide emissions through a series of fissures, marking the
latest phase of an eruption cycle that has continued nearly nonstop
for 35 years.

The occurrence of new lava vents, now numbering about two dozen,
have been accompanied by earthquakes and periodic eruptions from the
summit crater.
At least 44 homes and other structures have been destroyed, and a
man was seriously injured on Saturday when a chunk of lava shot out
of a fissure and struck him in the leg.
Some 2,000 people remain under evacuation orders due to lava flows
and sulfur dioxide gas. Civil defense officials said contingency
plans for further evacuations were being prepared with National
Guard officials in case they become necessary.
(Additional reporting by Jolyn Rosa in Honolulu; Writing and
additional reporting by by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by
Sandra Maler and Michael Perry)
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