Loading ...Summit crater Halemaumau belched out an ash plume up to 20,000 ft. this evening. With light to no winds, the ham radio operators report light ashfall at Volcano village. Cracks in the main highway past the national park also appeared this morning. Not eruptive. These are deformation cracks related to the ongoing deflation of the summit area as the lava recedes underground. Aviation code RED warning for the area, no fly zone.
The east rift zone continues to sound like distant artillery at the house, with occasional thuds and booms, accompanied by the house shaking small earthquakes. With no wind today, the SO2 plumes rose straight up and formed condensate clouds. Tonight we have intermittent rains…. certainly acid rain… falling in the area. At least it cleans the air a bit. No serious fumes here at the Quaking Volcano Ranch today, but we stay hyper-aware of the wind direction and changes.