New
NASA satellite imagery captured a hot lava flow from fissure 8 of Hawaii’s
Kilauea volcano. The flow from fissure 8 extends from the Leilani Estates to
the Pacific Ocean — with main ocean entry points near Ahalanui.
The
imagery, from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection (ASTER)
radiometer instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite, was taken on Wednesday, July
25. Vegetation is shown in red, and clouds are white. The hot lava flows
detected by ASTER’s thermal infrared channels are overlaid in yellow. The image
covers an area of 9.5 by 11.5 miles (15.3 by 18.6 kilometers).
Fissure
8 is one of the most active fissures of many that have broken ground since
Kilauea began erupting in early May. Flying debris from the explosive
interaction between lava and water is a serious hazard near ocean entry points.
The interaction also creates laze — plumes laden with hydrochloric acid and
volcanic particles — that can irritate the eyes, lungs and skin.
Kilauea
is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It is the youngest and
southeastern-most volcano on the Island of Hawaii.
