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Ryan Finlay

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@ryan

Building Tracker, a publishing platform. Father of 6 beautiful children, and married to my wonderful wife for almost 20 years. #Bitcoin

Joined December 2023

112 Posts
61 Replies
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Ryan Finlay@ryan ·Dec 28, 2023

Maunaiki Trail Reopens in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, Hawaiʻi – Maunaiki Trail from the trailhead near Kulanaokuaiki Campground to the Kaʻū Desert Trail intersection has reopened in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The park temporarily closed Maunaiki Trail in October because of increased seismicity in the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano. Kīlauea is not erupting, and seismicity has been low in the Southwest Rift Zone, the summit region and the upper East Rift Zone according to USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists. This remote and uncrowded seven-mile trail traverses the spectacular geological, natural and cultural features of the Kaʻū Desert, including the Twin Pit Craters where koaʻe kea (white-tailed tropicbirds) soar above their nesting sites. Although the recent volcanic unrest is quiet, eruptive activity could occur in the near future with little or no warning. Park visitors are urged to plan ahead and check the park website for any closure or hazard alerts at www.nps.gov/hawaiivolcanoes. Via N...

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Ryan Finlay@ryan ·Nov 29, 2022

Flow Front Mapped By USGS November 29, 12 Noon

The Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa has continued into its second full day. At this time two fissures are active, sending lava flows in multiple directions. Overnight satellite views allowed USGS analysts to accurately map some of the most active flows, displayed in red here. Further downslope progression of the flows this morning is marked by dashed lines and points for the flow fronts at 12:00 p.m. today.

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Ryan Finlay@ryan ·Nov 29, 2022

Mauna Loa Northeast Rift Zone Lava Flow - November 29, 2022

An ‘a‘ā lava flow on the northeast flank of Mauna Loa. This lava flow is several meters thick and moving to the northeast. 'A'ā flows have a rough rubbly surface composed of broken lava blocks called clinkers. The clinkery surface covers a massive dense core, which is the most active part of the flow. As pasty lava in the core travels downslope, the clinkers are carried along at the surface. At the leading edge of an ‘a‘ā flow, however, these cooled fragments tumble down the steep front and are buried by the advancing flow. This produces a layer of lava fragments both at the bottom and top o...

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Maren Purves

This looks very much like the 1984 'a'ā flow at the end of Powerline Road from the Saddle Road side when I was there in 1987 - which is as tall as a house. - For a map that shows Powerline Road and the 1984 lava flows in the area see https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/nature/mauna-loa-1984.htm, and keep in mind that the contour lines are in meters. - Thank you for posting this, gives me a lot better idea what we're looking at.

Nov 30, 2022

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Ryan Finlay@ryan ·Nov 29, 2022

Mauna Loa Northeast Rift Zone Lava Fountains - November 29, 2022

This video shows one of the fissures active on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. At approximately 11 a.m. on November 29, 2022, the fountains at this location were at measured 35-40 meters (115-148 ft) in height. Via USGS