This latest spurt of volcanic activity began a little over a week ago on what is aptly known as 'The Big Island'. But before we go too far, here's some context on the sheer geological immensity of the situation. The Big Island comprises five volcanos, two of which can only be described as gargantuan. The distinctive twin peaks - Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa - are a pair of shield volcanos that rise 4,000m above sea level. If one takes into account their height below sea level, they stand 10km tall - more than a kilometre higher than Mount Everest. The older one, Mauna Kea, erupted for nearly one million years and now lies dormant; Mauna Loa has erupted for 700,000 years and remains active to this day.
Yet it's Kilauea which is currently setting the south-east coast of the island alight. It is smaller, younger and
arguably the most active volcano in the world. Curiously, there is no exact definition for 'most active' but Kilauea is certainly spoken of in the vein as Eyjafjallajökull, Etna and Sakurajima. The reason is simple: it has been erupting continuously since 1983.
Kilauea, (also a shield volcano defined by its low, gentle slopes rather than a pronounced peak) began arousing suspicion when its crater dropped inwards a fortnight ago, sending stored magma further underground. Ominous ash clouds began to emerge from the Pu'u'O'o vent. Then last Thursday the island was struck by the strongest earthquake (measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale) in over four decades. The seismic activity was enough to collapse the main crater and open up fissures along its slopes. While
spectacular lava fountains spurted 100 metres into the sky, it was the the unseen terror of toxic gas that caused the greatest panic. Poisonous sulphuric dioxide continues to escape from deep under the earth.
Aftershocks then pried open the earth to the east of Kilauea; creating 12 volcanic vents directly in the middle of Leilani Estates. As the media put forth round-the-clock videos of
lava emerging in suburban backyards, an entire generation of adults raised on the films 'Volcano' and 'Dante's Peak' shivered. But as one resident said, "The lava doesn't chase you down the road like in the movies. It moves slow. You can see where the real danger is." Well-drilled authorities evacuated some
1,700 residents of Leilani Estates and the nearby Lanipuna Gardens. Thankfully there have been no reported injuries or deaths, but the locals can do nothing now but watch as rivers of lava slowly, inexorably torch and swallow much of the community. As of late in the week some 26 properties had been destroyed and the lava had spread out across 36,000 square metres.
As
destruction creeps across the suburbs of Puna, the island's vulcanologists are hard at work studying the flows. The chief of the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Christina Neal sees an opportunity, "When all of this is over and we digest the reams and mountains of data that we are collecting, we will know a lot more about Kilauea as a volcanic system". Yet even the specialists concede that these eruptions and aftershocks may go on for weeks, if not months. There is also a real risk that prolonged seismic activity could spark an explosive eruption. Such an event might send missiles of rock hurtling
over a kilometre away and release a staggering amount of lava. The locals - now safe on the north side of the island - are praying for a less violent eruption.
Kilauea is special for another reason too; in Hawaiian tradition it's believed that the fire goddess Pelehonuamea lives within its caldera. Her name means "She who shapes the sacred land". And it seems she's doing just that. Little wonder then that the vulcanologists, seismologists or urban planners of the world can do little about it.
