The island of Hawaii is home to five volcanoes, three of which can be observed here in this orthorectified image. These are, clockwise from the upper right, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Hual?lai.

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano in the post-shield stage of volcanic evolution. Its peak is 13,803 feet (4,207 m) above sea level but 33,476 feet (10,203 m) above its base on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, making it the world’s tallest mountain by this measure. The rounded formations on its flanks are various cinder cones.

Mauna Loa is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately 18,000 cubic miles (75,000 km³). Its peak, with an elevation of 13,679 feet (4,169 m), is about 120 feet lower than that of Mauna Kea.

Hual?lai is a dormant shield volcano with a peak at 8,271 feet (2,521 m) above sea level, much lower than those of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Although Hual?lai is not nearly as active as nearby Mauna Loa, geologic mapping of the volcano shows that 80 percent of Hual?lai’s surface is covered by lava flows no older than about 5,000 years.

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From the posting: After breaking out from the main tube, a surface flow has finally reached the Pacific Ocean. The main tube originates at the TEB vent on the East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano, but this flow broke out from the main tube about four miles from the ocean. It finally came in contact with the surf about 6:30 AM on October 31, 2009 on a black sand beach built by previous flows. This new ocean entry is located about 1/2 mile west from the established ocean entry near Kalapana.

These clips show a pahoehoe flow near Kalapana just after dawn. This flow broke out from the main tube about four miles upstream. It is now only one mile from the ocean in the coastal plain between Pulama Pali and the Pacific Ocean. The ocean entry plume shown is being fed by the remaining lava which remained in the main tube. If the surface flow continues, it will soon be flowing over the existing tube which is feeding the ocean entry.

Recorded October 15, 2009

Halemaumau crater vent ash cloud one minute after first collapse

VOLCANO, Hawaii (AP) — The bright glow at the summit of Hawaii’s Kilauea (KILL’-uh-WAY’-uh) volcano has been snuffed out by a series of large rock falls within its crater.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says the rock falls on Tuesday produced a seismic signal equivalent to a magnitude-2.4 earthquake.

The rumble was felt at the observatory and the adjacent Jaggar Museum.

Chunks of the vent rim fell into the cavity in the floor of the crater. In all, more than 30 rim collapses were recorded.

Vent collapses are often the result of a drop in the level of lava in the vent, which destabilize its walls.

Kilauea has been erupting on the Big Island for more than 25 years, with its lava creating a plume of steam as it spills into the Pacific Ocean.

Source: Associated Press