2018-05-01 Volcano Crater Floor Collapses, Possible Outbreak of Lava, Viewing Area Closed -- press release

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Wil Okabe Managing Director Harry Kim Mayor Barbara J. Kossow Deputy Managing Director County of Hawai‘i Office of the Mayor 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603  Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720  (808) 961-8211  Fax (808) 961-6553 KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Hwy., Bldg C  Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740 (808) 323-4444  Fax (808) 323-4440 May 1, 2018 NEWS RELEASE Volcano Crater Floor Collapses, Possible Outbreak of Lava, Viewing Area Closed The collapse of the PuōŌʻu ʻʻ crater floor on Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone has triggered increases in earthquake activity and deformation along a large section of the rift zone, according to Christina Neal, scientist-in-charge at Hawai'i Volcanoes Observatory (HVO). Neal said that seismicity was occurring as far east as Highway 130, and warned residents of lower Puna to remain alert and watch for further information about the status of the volcano at www.hawaiicounty.gov/active-alert . “An outbreak of lava in a new location is one possible outcome,” Neal said in statement. At this time it is not possible to say with certainty if or where such an outbreak may occur, but the area downrift (east) of Puō is the most likely location, as this is Ōʻu ʻʻ where seismicity and deformation have been concentrated overnight.” Meanwhile, the County has closed the Kalapana lava viewing area amid the possibility of an eruption, and security has been posted to ensure than no unauthorized persons enter the area. “We don’t want people hiking in that area, which is downslope from the rift,” Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Maurice Messina said. Messina said that vendors at the viewing area were told to vacate the area. He noted that the lava viewing area can draw 500 to more than 2,000 visitors, depending on the level of volcanic activity. A magnitude 4.0 earthquake just offshore of PuōŌʻu ʻʻ occurred at 2:39 Tuesday morning, the largest of a sequence of tremors along the rift zone. There is no risk of tsunami at that magnitude. Deformation is the term used to describe change in the surface of a volcano, such as swelling, sinking or cracking, which can be caused by movements in the earth’s crust due to motion along faults, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.