Kilauea Volcano Update

A few days ago the area surrounding our volcano here on the Big Island, Kilauea, experienced a sudden and unusual flurry of small earthquakes.  Yesterday our local newspaper, West Hawaii Today, reported on the front page that the lava had actually stopped flowing out of the Pu’u O’o vent.  This is noteworthy because it has been erupting constantly since 1983; Kilauea is considered to be one of the most active volcanoes on earth.  New fissures have appeared in the past day or two, and some rare plants and animals are in danger in some areas.  However this startling change is good news for our leeward side of the island (except of course for some disappointed tourists): without the ensuing vog, our skies will be clearer and cleaner than they have been for 25 years, at least for a little while. 

Several other volcanoes have been active the past week or so as well.  In New Guinea, explosions from Rabaul rocked the surrounding areas as ash plumes rose 8900 feet.  In Ecuador, both Tungurahua and Reventador experienced lahars and ash plumes this week.    Ditto for Kliuchevskoi, Shiveluch and Karymysky in Russia, and Ubinas in Peru.  Mt. St. Helens continued to grow its lava-dome. 

There is definitely an ongoing debate as to whether volcanic activity has been increasing the past few decades.  Skeptics insist any increase is due to better scientific observation.  However, it might be interesting to consider any connection between global warming, solar activity and volcanic activity.  I found one site which considered the relationship between such earth changes and Chandler’s Wobble.  And of course, as always, there’s Planet X to consider. 

In other perhaps not unrelated news, a lake suddenly disappeared in Chile recently, baffling scientists.