Kilauea Lava Flow Reaches the Sea

The lava flow from Kilauea once again reached the ocean on Memorial Day for the first time since July 2003. There are several entry points spaced across a 220 yard wide area on the Wilipe'a lava delta. The entries range from small flows that glide down a gentle slope into the surf zone to lava falls that drop vertically over cliffs 20-30 feet high onto rocks along the shoreline.

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All the entry points are in the east prong of the Banana flow, which increased its coverage of the Wilipe'a delta substantially from May 31 to June 1. This flow has been named the "banana flow" because of an unusual patch of banana plants upslope.

Numerous breakouts are active in the east prong on the surface of the delta as well as above the old sea cliff bounding the inland side of the delta. Several cascades of lava tumble down the old cliff onto the delta. The east prong is widening rapidly; this means that any one entry point is not large, but the cumulative number of entry points is impressive.

The west prong the of Banana flow remains active, with lava on the delta within 100 feet of the ocean as well as on the surface above the delta. Visitors can see small toes and tongues of lava along the west side of the west prong without much difficulty. There is no ocean entry point in the west prong yet.

A few small, low frequency earthquakes, and no noticeable tremor, are coming from Kilauea's summit. Tremor at Pu`u `O`o is at its typical moderate level. Otherwise, seismicity at Kilauea has been at a low level for the past 24 hours.

The current eruption of Kilauea began Jan. 3, 1983, and lava flows since then have created more than 500 acres of land along the coast.

Thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey - Hawaii Volcano Observatory for this update and photos.