Fissure Eruptions of Puu Oo Crater, Kilauea Volcano

Abstract

 Kilauea volcano is located in the southeastern part of Hawaii Island, and is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. On the January 3, 1983, an eruption began at about an altitude of 700 m in the eastern rift zone. This eruption formed a new scoria cone called Puu Oo, which continued to erupt for 27 years to the present with short pauses.
 On March 5, 14:16, 2011, the crater floor of Puu Oo collapsed and subsided. Three hours later, lava fountains began at two points along the 2.2 km long fissure, which is located west of Puu Oo. The photograph on the cover shows Puu Oo and the fissure eruptions at 09:06 March 9, 2011. Puu Oo is a small cone with white smoke emerging at the back. The locations of the fire fountains are indicated by white and purple smoke. The red lava fountain in the foreground was 7 m high and lava mainly flowed south. This fissure eruption came to end during the evening of March 10. A few days later, fresh lava erupted at the bottom of crater floor of Puu Oo and is now filling the crater floor (July 7, 2011).
(Photograph & Explanation: Motomaro SHIRAO)