Submitted by: BrOwNfLaVa(24) BrOwNfLaVa Log in to become a member of BrOwNfLaVa's Fan Club!
After
84 years, at 2:58 am, Wednesday, March 19,2008, a small explosion
occurred at Halemaumau Crater at the summit of Kilauea Volcano. The
explosion scattered debris over an area of about 30 hectares covering
portion of Crater Rim Drive and damaging the Halemaumau overlook. The
activity was driven by hydrothermal gas sources as no lava erupted. Rock
debris extended halfway across the floor of Halemaumau Crater. The
debris was composed of rock fragments that were derived from the walls
of Halemaumau Crater.
The
main explosion at 2:58 was associated with long period seismicity which was erroneously reported as an earthquake earlier. The
explosion produced a small crater along the east wall of Halemaumau
that is about 2-30 meters in diameter. Sulfur dioxide emissions from
the new explosion crater are still elevated, and sounds of rock
breaking are frequent.
This
is the first explosion in Halemaumau Crater since 1924 and the first
eruption of any kind in Kilauea Caldera since Spetember 1982.
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