Lava Lake On Kilauea Volcano Is Seriously Close To Overflowing

A lava lake on Hawaii's Big Island is mere feet from overflowing.

As of Monday morning, the lava's surface was within seven feet of the lake's rim, the highest it's been since the current eruption began in 2008.

"Magma is rising up into the lava lake from a magma chamber a mile or so beneath the summit of Kilauea volcano," research geologist Matthew Patrick told The Huffington Post. According to Patrick, an overflow is a definite possibility because Kilauea has been consistently inflating for the past week, meaning that magma keeps flowing into the lake from an underground chamber below.

In the event of an overflow, the lava would stay within Halemaumau Crater, the larger crater in the floor of which the lava lake sits, so it would pose no safety threat. But visitors to Volcanoes National Park would get quite a display.

Typically, the lava surface is 100 to 200 feet below the rim of the crater lake and therefore can't be seen from the public viewing area around the volcano. Since the lava has risen, Patrick said, "its incandescent cracks and often vigorous spattering" can easily be seen from the overlook. An overflow would "likely provide an impressive scene for park visitors."

While this is a notable development in the current eruption, it's not particularly unusual in the history of Kilauea, Patrick said. "In the 1800s and early 1900s, there was nearly continuous lava lake activity for about 100 years, and oftentimes that lava was spilling out of Halemaumau Crater," he explained.

As exciting as an overflow sounds, it is also possible Kilauea will abruptly deflate, Patrick said, bringing the lava's surface back down to typical levels.

In the meantime, we can all enjoy a better view into the lava lake:

Wow! Feel free to share :)Halemaumau from the Jaggar overlook last night April 25, 2015I shot this using the RAW crop video feature in Magic Lantern on a Canon camera.

Posted by Harry Durgin Photography on Sunday, April 26, 2015

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