What’s Happening with the Volcano?

 On December 20, 2020 Hale'mau'mau Crater began filling with lava again.  I remember that evening before we went to bed, the dogs were acting restless and we had an earthquake.  We were exhausted so we drifted right off to sleep.  A few hours later, around 12:30 I woke up.  Curious about the magnitude of the earthquake we had, I opened my phone to Volcano’s trusty coconut wireless, Facebook, and before my eyes were post after post about Kilauea erupting again!  I couldn’t believe it and I was so excited Madam Pele was blessing us  with her with her presence once again!

I woke Randy up and said “Rand, Hale'mau'mau is erupting again! Look!”

“Huh?” he groggily replied.  “When…?”

“It just started at 9ish after the earthquake.” I said.

“Should we go?” he asked.

“I think we should.” I said excitedly.

So, we got up at 12:45 am drove five minutes to the park and watched the lava pouring back into the crater.  Steam was heavy as the lava dissolved the water lake that had been forming at the bottom of the crater, but when the wind blew exactly right you could catch a glimpse of the magma coming out of the vents in the wall.  It was magical!

Five months later, the west vent is still supplying lava into the lake, although the vent is submerged under the lake so you can’t see the activity.  Current total depth of the lake is 748 feet which is still too low to see.  The current depth of Hale'mau'mau crater from the crater floor is about 2000 feet, so the lake still has quite a way to go before you can see it from any of the viewing areas.  Currently solidified lava crust covers 93% of the lake surface, so the glow in the evenings is minimal.

You never know what Madam Pele has in store so the best thing we advise is to come and experience the Volcano for yourself.  Anything can happen and your timing might just be right!