During 26 November-2 December HVO reported that Kilauea’s 27 June NE-trending lava flow continued to be active. During an overflight on 1 December volcanologists observed a narrow lava flow that had originated from the W edge of the flow field and traveled 2.8 km N, burning vegetation along its path. They noted that weak surface activity was present in three areas upslope: the W side of the flow field that had produced the new lava flow, the E edge of the crack system, and at a breakout 3.5 km upslope of Pu'u 'O'o. They also measured a cross-sectional area of the lava stream within a tube near Pu'u 'O'o and found a 25% reduction in area compared to the previous week. The result was consistent with less lava flowing through the tube due to the summit deflation, which has been ongoing since 29 November.

The circulating lava lake occasionally rose and fell in the deep pit within Halema'uma'u Crater. Gas emissions remained elevated. The plume from the vent continued to deposit variable amounts of tephra onto nearby areas; smaller particles may have been dropped several kilometers away. At Pu'u 'O'o Crater, glow emanated from several outgassing openings in the crater floor.

Geological Summary. Kilauea overlaps the E flank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano in the island of Hawaii. Eruptions are prominent in Polynesian legends; written documentation since 1820 records frequent summit and flank lava flow eruptions interspersed with periods of long-term lava lake activity at Halemaumau crater in the summit caldera until 1924. The 3 x 5 km caldera was formed in several stages about 1,500 years ago and during the 18th century; eruptions have also originated from the lengthy East and Southwest rift zones, which extend to the ocean in both directions. About 90% of the surface of the basaltic shield volcano is formed of lava flows less than about 1,100 years old; 70% of the surface is younger than 600 years. The long-term eruption from the East rift zone between 1983 and 2018 produced lava flows covering more than 100 km2, destroyed hundreds of houses, and added new coastline.

Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)