Posts by BINC:
- Bond Memorial Public Library, Kapa‘au
- Hilo Public Library
- Holualoa Public Library
- Honoka‘a Public Library
- Kailua-Kona Public Library
- Kea‘au Public and School Library
- Kealakekua Public Library
- Laupahoehoe Public and School Library
- Mountain View Public and School Library
- Na‘alehu Public Library
- Thelma Parker Memorial Public and School Library, Waimea
BINC Takes a Holiday
November 11th, 2012Mahalo Broadcasting management has decided to “pause” original news reporting on Big Island News Center, for now.
The original Island Issues weekly broadcasts hosted by Sherry Bracken will still be available for online listening on the site, or downloading–they’re down on the right and will be updated weekly, bringing insightful talk story interviews with those who affect Hawaii Island life and with those with stories of interest. They also air on the radio on Sundays, at 6:30 a.m. on KKOA 107.7 fm and at 8 a.m. on LAVA 105.3 fm.
The news feeds for national, world, political, and business news, on the left, will continue to be updated, and police reports will continue to be posted on the right. But for now, there’s a pause in Hawaii Island news reporting.
Thanks to all our loyal readers–we hope to return to “regular service” soon. You may direct any inquiries to info@lava105.com or by phone to 808-329-8090.
Meanwhile, you may find original local Hawaii Island and state news reporting online at:
www.hawaii247.com
www.bigislandvideonews.com
You may also find a news and opinion site at www.bigislandchronicle.com
Comments Off
Keiki Triathlon Coming October 20
October 11th, 2012Children 7 to 14 years old are invited to enter the Keiki Triathlon to be held Saturday, October 20, at the Kona Community Aquatic Center and Maka’eo Park in Kailua-Kona.
Entry forms will be accepted through Friday, October 12. The triathlon will start at 8:30 a.m. on October 20.
A link to the entry form is available at hawaiicounty.gov under the Department of Parks and Recreation’s October events. Forms also may be obtained island-wide at the department’s Recreation Division facilities, swimming pools and many gymnasiums. There is a $5 per-child entry fee to participate in the Keiki Triathlon.
To ensure the athletes’ safety, enrollment will be limited to the first 30 children who sign up in each of the four age-group categories or a maximum 120 total racers. All participants must supply their own bicycle, helmet, swim goggles and other equipment.
Completed entry forms and payment should be mailed to the Recreation Division, 799 Pi’‘ilani Street, Hilo, HI 96720.
Sponsored by the County of Hawai’i Department of Parks and Recreation and the Hawai’i Isle Police Activities League (HI-PAL), the inaugural Keiki Triathlon will consist of a 100-yard swim, 3.2-mile bicycle course and a 1.0 mile run; children in the 7-8 age-group category will race half those distances.
Medals will be awarded to the top three finishers, both boys and girls, in each age category, while all keiki who complete the course will receive commemorative certificates.
For more information, you may call Officer Joseph Botelho Jr. at 961-2220.
Comments Off
Bond Says “Jesus Christ Superstar” is a Must See
October 7th, 2012By Suzi Bond, Director and Producer for Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network (KDEN), which creates theater at the Kilauea Theater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park:
Dress rehearsal
I saw “Jesus Christ Superstar” and what a show!
Pedro Ka’awaloa was superb as Jesus. His grasp of the turmoil faced by his character is heart gripping. Don Moody as Pilate put in a performance that was very powerful and a change from his usual sidekick roles. David Kealoha, Victor Solt and Billy Shackley as Caiaphas, Annas and the Priest stole the show. They have great songs and their characters are spot on.
The song “Could We Start Again, Please?” with Mary (Kau’ilani Trainer) and Peter (Norman Arancon), and the Two Men (John Burnett and Saul Rollason) was a beautiful moment in the show. Scott Wuscher as Simon and Phill Russell as Judas were also very strong .
Overall the show is colorful, powerful and a must see! Kudos all around.
“Jesus Christ Superstar” runs through Sunday, October 21, Friday & Saturday at 7 and Sundays at 2:30 at Hilo’s Palace Theater. Call the Palace Theater at 935-7010 for more info or visit their website, www.hilopalace.org
Comments Off
1971 Eruption Ended 52 Years of Southwest Rift Zone Quiet
September 22nd, 2012
1971 Eruption courtesy USGS
From Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:
On September 24, 1971,Kilauea’s southwest rift zone erupted for the first time in 52 years.
Kilauea’s east rift zone had been erupting almost nonstop since May 1969, but activity at the Mauna Ulu vent was declining by mid-1971. In fact, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists noted in July that changes in the volcano’s behavior might be afoot.
HVO’s speculation was confirmed on August 14, when lava erupted at the summit of Kilauea for about 10 hours. The east rift zone eruption continued at a low level, but during the next six weeks, inflation and seismicity at Kilauea’s summit increased.
Then, on Friday, September 24, at 7:12 p.m., a swarm of small, shallow earthquakes, accompanied by continuous volcanic tremor beneath Kilauea’s summit caldera, triggered HVO’s monitoring alarms. Less than 10 minutes later, observers saw a red glow from the caldera floor just west of Halema`uma`u Crater. By 7:30 p.m., they could also hear the roar of lava fountains. Kilauea’s summit was erupting for the second time in six weeks!
The initial fissures broke out between Halema`uma`u and Kilauea’s southwestern caldera wall, erupting lava fountains as high as 50 m (165 ft). Lava flows spread south and east, spilling into Halema`uma`u in a dramatic cascade that soon covered the crater floor.
Within half an hour, lava fountains were erupting from the floor of Halema`uma`u and up the east wall of the crater, where a 250-m- (270-yard-) long eruptive fissure opened on the adjacent caldera floor. At 8:00 p.m., ground cracks opened west of Halema`uma`u and across Crater Rim Drive, rendering the road impassable.
Minutes later, a fissure opened on the southwest caldera rim, erupting lava fountains that soon moved into Kilauea’s southwest rift zone (SWRZ)—the first since the 1919-1920 Mauna Iki eruption. Migrating at an average rate of 10 m (33 ft) per minute, erupting fissures extended nearly a kilometer (0.6 mi) down the SWRZ within a couple of hours.
Fed by the fountains, fast-moving lava flows quickly spread across Crater Rim Drive, eventually flooding one of HVO’s instrument vaults—destroying a tiltmeter, two seismometers, and other volcano-monitoring tools. The flows also poured into gaping cracks along the SWRZ, sending a large quantity of lava back underground.
By 10:22 p.m., fountains from the SWRZ fissures had ceased and activity within the caldera had greatly diminished. It appeared that the eruption was ending.
But on Saturday morning, September 25, lava fountains erupted 2.5 km (1.6 mi) farther down the SWRZ, with vents continuing to migrate down the rift. As new fissures opened, uprift vents died. In less than two hours, lava fountains had moved nearly 1.5 km (0.9 mi) downrift, but once again, the SWRZ activity stopped. Late that night, active lava in Halema`uma`u was no longer visible. It seemed that the eruption was over.
Early Sunday morning, however, lava erupted southwest of Mauna Iki. Fissures continued to open downrift, and, by mid-morning, a line of fountains was erupting about 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of Kilauea Caldera. These 15-20-m (50-65-ft) high lava fountains—the farthest southwest of the entire eruption—were readily visible from Highway 11. The views resulted in traffic congestion near milepost 36 as thousands of people flocked to see the activity.
On Sunday afternoon, lava fountains re-appeared uprift of Mauna Iki. Over the next three days, lines of erupting fissures “hopscotched” up and down the SWRZ in a repeatedly observed sequence of events. At the “head” of a migrating fissure, fumes issued from the ground as cracks opened and widened. Then, in quick succession, molten clots of lava were ejected a few meters (yards) into the air, dense clouds of dark fume billowed skyward, and then fountains of lava erupted. At the “tail” of a fissure, activity diminished in reverse, from lava fountains to gas venting.
By the end of this 5-day-long eruption on September 29, parts of the SWRZ were extensively cracked and dilated 1-3 m (3-10 ft), newly erupted lava covered more than 4 sq km (1.5 sq mi), and the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater had dropped 45 m (148 ft) as liquid lava drained into new cracks.
Kilauea’s 1971 SWRZ eruption was the coup de grace of the 1969-71 Mauna Ulu activity, which barely dragged on until mid-October.
Photo caption: As erupting fissures migrated down Kilauea’s southwest rift zone in September 1971 for the first time in 52 years, many spectators hiked into the Ka`u Desert for a closer view of the rare event. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park rangers patrolled the area on horseback to keep people a safe distance from the lava fountains. Photo courtesy of NPS.
Kilauea activity update
A lava lake within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent produced night-time glow that was visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook and by HVO’s Webcam during the past week. The lava level rose and fell slightly due to a string of deflation-inflation cycles (DI events) at the summit and several brief gas-driven rise-fall cycles.
On Kilauea’s east rift zone, surface lava flows remain active at the top of the pali, within the upper part of the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision, about 6.5 km (4 miles) southeast of Pu`u `O`o. The lava pond in the northeastern pit in Pu`u `O`o crater was visible in the Webcam over the past week, with the level fluctuating slightly in response to the DI events.
There was one earthquake reported felt on the Island of Hawai`i in the past week. On September 15, 2012, at 9:52 a.m., HST, a magnitude-3.0 earthquake occurred 8 km (5 mi) northwest of Kailua-Kona at a depth of 34 km (21 mi).
Visit the HVO Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey`s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Comments Off
Volcanic Ash–A Hazard to Planes?
September 6th, 2012
Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
The relatively small explosive eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano more than two years ago focused attention on the hazards of volcanic ash to aviation like no other event because of the extreme cost and prolonged disruption to millions of travelers, businesses, and the aviation industry. If you weren’t directly affected by Iceland ash, you probably knew someone who was.
Some of the volcanic ash erupted from Eyjafjallajökull was blown by winds over parts of Europe. To prevent any aircraft from encountering ash in flight, more than 100,000 flights were cancelled and more than 300 European airports closed, stranding 7 million passengers and causing $1.7 billion in loss of revenue to airlines.
Volcanic ash—angular rock and mineral fragments, less than 2 mm in diameter, ejected into the atmosphere during explosive eruptions—is a known hazard to aviation; there have been 79 damaging encounters of aircraft with ash clouds through 2009, resulting in abrasion, contamination of hydraulics and electrical systems, and in-flight engine shutdowns (for summary of incidents, see http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/545/).
In July 2010, an International Volcanic Ash Task Force was created by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to look at how best to manage air traffic in the vicinity of ash clouds and how best to describe and send out warnings of hazardous airspace. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has long been involved in ash-hazard issues, and several USGS scientists participated in the Task Force.
The Task Force completed its work in June 2012 and published a final report (http://www.icao.int/safety/meteorology/ivatf/Lists/Meetings/AllItems.aspx). Most of the recommendations call for improvements in identifying and forecasting volcanic ash clouds with emerging technologies and capabilities.
A key issue that the Task Force investigated was determining the best method to depict zones of hazardous airspace. During the Eyjafjallajökull event, ash-concentration charts, derived from computer dispersion models were introduced for use in Europe, The charts showed forecasted areas of airspace with low ash concentrations (less than about 2-4 mg per cubic meter). The hope was that, with accurate charts of forecasted ash concentrations, aircraft could fly through the dilute ash clouds without immediate safety impacts.
But the effort was not fully successful. The ash-dispersion computer models used to forecast ash concentrations downwind of an erupting volcano were found to have large uncertainties, as much as plus or minus tenfold.
This level of uncertainty is too large to identify ash concentrations with the level of confidence needed by the aviation industry to ensure safe flight operations. Based on consensus from scientific experts, the Task Force recommended that such charts not become standard warning products at this time.
The Task Force recommended, instead, that the world’s nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC), which are charged with identifying ash clouds and forecasting their movement, use as many different observations as are available, in concert with computer models. These observations include quantitative satellite-based measurements, radar, lidar, airborne sampling, visual sightings by pilots, volcano observatory input, and any reported ash-aircraft encounters.
The Task Force also recommended stronger collaboration among the VAACs to identify and share best practices, thus eliminating needless differences in their procedures and products. They also considered timely notifications of volcanic activity by observatories important because warnings could be delivered even before an eruption started. USGS Volcano Observatories use a color-coded system to alert airlines and others of the status of a restless and erupting volcano.
In 2008, the USGS began issuing Volcano Observatory Notices for Aviation (VONA) to alert airline dispatchers, pilots, air-traffic controllers and others of activity that could produce ash clouds and of eruptions in progress (see VONAs at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/vonainfo.php). The color-code system and VONA have been recommended for use by Volcano Observatories worldwide by ICAO.
A key issue remains: whether aircraft can fly through dilute ash clouds safely—as airlines and engine manufactures claim—and, if so, for how long. Planning is underway in the United States for testing the performance of a modern jet engine ingesting ash at low concentrations for a few hundred hours of simulated “flight” time. Such a test is at least a year away. Look for an update in a future Volcano Watch.
Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
Kilauea activity update
A lava lake within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent produced night-time glow that was visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook and by HVO’s Webcam during the past week. Prolonged deflation and low lava levels early last week ended on Friday, August 31, with inflation and lava level rise. Occasional rise-fall cycles caused the lava level to rise slightly for periods of hours.
On Kilauea’s east rift zone, deflation resulted in the formation of a new collapse pit during the past week on the north edge of Pu`u `O`o’s crater floor almost directly below the webcam. In addition, diminishing lava flows on the coastal plain and pali had stagnated by Saturday, Sept 1.
With the summit inflation over Labor Day weekend, breakouts reappeared on Sunday, Sept 2, farther upslope, about 4 km (2.5 miles) southeast of Pu`u `O`o. Lava levels within Pu`u `O`o rose with inflation, bringing lava in the northeastern pit within view of the webcams and filling the new northern pit.
Pu’u O’o Crater
No earthquakes were reported felt in the last week below the island of Hawai`i.
Visit the HVO Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey`s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Comments Off
Volcano Watch: Jaggar’s Acorn Now an Oak Tree
August 27th, 2012
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has monitored, studied, and served as an information source about Hawaiian volcanism for the past 100 years. The acorn that Thomas Jaggar planted in 1912 has grown into an oak tree over the years. Today, HVO is part of a substantially larger organization: the USGS Volcano Hazard Program, which currently operates five volcano observatories. The USGS has continuously operated HVO since 1947.
Before 1980, the perceived probability of volcanic eruptions within the conterminous United States was generally low, because only a single significant eruption had occurred there in the 20th century. Lassen Peak, in northern California, erupted from 1914 to 1917. With the support of HVO, Lassen Peak observatory was established in 1926 in Mineral, California. Another volcano observatory was established in 1927—this one was on Kodiak Island, Alaska. The Lassen Peak and Kodiak Island observatories were both modest endeavors and neither one survived the Great Depression in the 1930’s. HVO survived, but only narrowly, through severe austerity.
In the late 1950s, geologic studies began to unravel the eruptive histories of volcanoes in the conterminous U.S. To those familiar with these studies it became apparent that the probability of dangerous explosive eruptions at some volcanoes was cause for concern. Work by two USGS geologists—Rocky Crandell and Don Mullineaux—indicated that Mount St. Helens was at the top of the “most likely to erupt” list. They even published a paper in 1975 that stated that it could erupt “perhaps before the end of the century.” But the growing concern over volcanic hazards on the mainland in general and Mount St. Helens in particular did not translate into the increased funding necessary to construct observatories and monitoring networks.
Concern about volcanic hazards on the mainland increased dramatically, both within the government and the general public, on May 18, 1980, when an eruption of Mount St. Helens caused tragic human and material losses. New funding materialized and the Volcano Hazards Program began to grow substantially. The USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) in Vancouver, Washington was authorized in 1980 and was formally dedicated in 1982. CVO is responsible for volcanoes in Washington and Oregon, and is home to a team of volcanologists that, upon request, helps foreign governments deal with volcano crises.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) in Anchorage and Fairbanks was founded in 1988, following the 1986 eruption of Augustine Volcano and just 18 months before Redoubt Volcano reawakened. A fully loaded 747 airliner’s encounter with an ash cloud from Redoubt dramatically illustrated the hazards the explosive eruption pose to aircraft. AVO—a collaboration between the USGS, the State of Alaska, and the University of Alaska—is responsible for monitoring volcanoes in Alaska and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. Ash-aircraft issues are a key focus of AVO.
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) was founded in 2001, to coordinate and strengthen long-term volcanic and seismic monitoring in the Yellowstone National Park region. YVO is a collaboration of the USGS, Yellowstone National Park, and the University of Utah.
The USGS California Volcano Observatory (CalVO), the newest observatory, was founded in February of 2012. CalVO manages the monitoring efforts for volcanoes in California and Nevada from Menlo Park, California.
The Volcano Hazard Program is mandated by Congress to communicate scientific findings to authorities and the public in a timely manner and in an understandable form. Perhaps the most efficient way to deliver this information is via the Internet, so the Volcano Hazard Program’s newly designed website aims to deliver reliable information on US volcanoes and their hazards in an easy-to-understand and user-friendly format.
Web sites for the older observatories were developed independently—each with its own architecture. These will be sequentially redesigned so that they present a common look and feel. The redesigned sites will be “volcano-centric,” in recognition of the fact that most users find their way to a given observatory’s web site while searching for a specific volcano. Users either are currently able, or will be able, to view seismic data, webcams, deformation data, gas emission data, and hydrological data from real-time instruments via a dynamic, map-based display system. Check out the website at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/.
Kilauea activity update
A lava lake within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent resulted in night-time glow that was visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook and by HVO’s Webcam during the past week. The lake level was relatively stable at about 70 m (230 ft) below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater, though occasional rise-fall cycles caused the lava level to rise slightly for periods of a few hours.
On Kilauea’s east rift zone, surface lava flows on the coastal plain and pali have been relatively weak over the past week. The active flow front made no significant advancement and was still more than 2 km (1.2 miles) from the ocean. There was no active ocean entry. Incandescence in Pu`u `O`o was brightest from the small lava pond in the pit on the northeastern side of the crater floor. A second pit, on the south side of the crater, was also bright and probably holds a small lava pond. Neither pond was directly visible via Webcam.
Two earthquakes were reported felt beneath the Island of Hawai`i in the past week. At 00:07 a.m. (just after midnight), HST, on Sunday, August 19, 2012, a magnitude-3.7 earthquake occurred 13 km (8 mi) southeast of Kilauea summit at a depth of 9 km (5.5 mi). At 1:07 a.m. on Wednesday, August 22, a magnitude 2.9 earthquake occurred 33 km (20 mi) southwest and offshore of Hawi at a depth of 9 km (6 mi).
Visit the HVO Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey`s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Submitted by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Comments Off
Youth Set Up Outreach to Help Stop Alcohol Abuse
August 19th, 2012
Photo by Cathey TarletonStory by Catherine Tarleton:
Young people have a voice in underage drinking prevention on Hawai‘i Island, and a new way to reach out to peers and their parents. Community outreach stations set up by island youth provide information to help kids and adults understand the risks of alcohol use before age 21.
As part of its commitment to the County of Hawai‘i underage drinking prevention campaign, Five Mountains Hawai‘i worked with Mama’s House Lifeplan Youth Leadership Team to design and print two brochures and supply them with card racks for 11 libraries island-wide. The Prevention Resource Center (PRC) of the state Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawai’i provided a third brochure, chosen by youth participants.
“The kids helped create the taglines, the artwork, messaging and style of the two brochures and they worked with 11 libraries to get the information in place,” said Robin Mullin, Executive Director of Five Mountains Hawai‘i. “And it will be their responsibility to keep the libraries stocked, and to maintain their contacts for future programs. It’s a very good experience for them, and it’s inspiring to see it work.”
“It’s not our job to tell people what to do, but to give them the choice,” said youth group member Hoku Pagan, 15. “We put resources in libraries around the island that they can really read, and learn about the consequences.”
For example, even though it has been the law since 1988, not everyone knows that 21 is the legal drinking age in all 50 states. Or, that “social hosts,” including families, who allow someone under 21 to drink alcohol can be held liable for damages they cause.
“We are very grateful to Five Mountains,” said Beth Mehau, youth leader and Executive Director of The Pantry. “And certainly to Michelle Park of PRC and all the libraries, for supporting these young people and their prevention programs. With their continued partnership, we are excited about the possibilities for expanding projects through the school year and beyond.”
In addition to the library outreach, the youth group is planning relevant activities programs for younger students, targeting underage drinking prevention. “One of our goals is to help them be prepared,” said Pagan, “so that when they go to high school, they already know what decision to make.” The youth group is also planning an underage drinking prevention poster contest for students in grade six to twelve.
Community outreach card racks can be found in the following libraries:
This project is an equal opportunity program funded through the County of Hawai‘i Mayor’s Office, Hawai‘i Department of Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – Center for Substance Abuse Prevention: Strategic Prevention Framework – State Incentive Grant SPO 13944.
For more information, visit www.FiveMountains.org or www.ModelsNotBottles.org
Comments Off
Kilauea on the Move?
August 5th, 2012From Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:
Tuesday morning, July 31, started as a typical office day at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Beginning at 10:25 a.m., a number of text messages and emails arrived in rapid succession. It was time to take a closer look.
The messages all came from ENS, or Earthquake Notification Service. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) offers this service to subscribers who wish to automatically receive messages after earthquakes of specific interest to them. (https://sslearthquake.usgs.gov/ens/%5D. )
The earthquakes flagged in this series of messages all occurred beneath Kilauea volcano’s south flank. More specifically, they were concentrated beneath a section of Hilina Pali some 13 km (8 miles) south-southeast of the volcano’s summit. We have focused on earthquakes in this region recently because of their apparent relationship to slow-slip events (SSE) that occur beneath Kilauea’s south flank. Was another SSE starting? What else might be going on?
It was easy to spot Tuesday’s earthquakes on HVO’s earthquake Web page (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/seismic/volcweb/earthquakes/). Other small clusters of earthquakes also appeared, extending from a few miles due west of Kilauea’s summit crater, into the summit caldera, and along Kilauea’s upper east rift zone. To be sure, these are familiar earthquake source regions to us, and we have a general understanding of what causes them and what their relationships to other processes are.
The earthquakes just west of Kilauea’s summit appear to have occurred along the downward extensions of faults comprising the easternmost part of the Ka`oiki fault system which lies between Kilauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes. These are “normal” faults where the “hanging” wall block moves downward relative to the “footwall.”
Along the Ka`oiki faults, the southeastern, Kilauea side of the faults has moved downward relative to the northwestern, Mauna Loa side. This is a natural part of the volcanoes’ evolution, as their flanks slump seaward due to gravity.
Earthquakes clustering west of Kilauea summit, in what we have called Namakanipaio or Ka`oiki Pali, sequences and swarms, are also consistent with slumping. Earthquake swarms here have preceded intrusions of magma from Kilauea’s summit into the east rift zone during the continuing Pu`u `O`o eruption. Movements along these faults pulse neighboring parts of the volcano and have, at times, led to repeating patterns of earthquake and intrusive activity.
Earthquakes occurring beneath Kilauea’s summit caldera are related to magma accumulation and movement. Changes within the magma system stress the surrounding areas that produce earthquakes on nearby faults and cracks and within magma conduits in the caldera.
Along Kilauea’s upper east rift zone—delineated by the “Chain of Craters” in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park between the summit caldera and Mauna Ulu—earthquake swarms are directly associated with magma movement. Such swarms have coincided with other HVO observations and measurements to confirm their relationship to magma intrusions and eruptions. Tuesday’s upper east rift zone earthquakes were not swarm-like, but rather, continued a trend of persistent, but low-level activity.
Since Tuesday, we have arrived at several conclusions. While eruptions continue in Halema`uma`u at Kilauea’s summit and at Pu`u `O`o in its east rift zone, there was no large intrusion of magma from the summit into the rift zone. Such an intrusion, as might have been expected after seeing clustered earthquakes near Ka`oiki Pali, would have been heralded by more intense upper rift zone earthquakes. The Ka`oiki Pali earthquakes could be related to the earthquakes in Kilauea caldera.
The recent Hilina Pali earthquakes do not appear to be signaling the start of another Kilauea SSE. The most recent SSE occurred two months ago, and the next one would not be expected for roughly two years. There was a brief show of similar Hilina Pali events there in early July. Tuesday’s earthquakes are plausibly very similar to those seen in July, but their connection to SSEs is not clear.
Kilauea continues to erupt. Earthquakes continue in familiar locations but subsequent events do not always follow the same patterns. Meanwhile we’re back to a typical day at HVO, keeping up with the incoming data and observations studying the different patterns and processes, and where they fit—or don’t fit—together.
Kilauea activity update
A lava lake within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent resulted in night-time glow that was visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook and by HVO’s Webcam during the past week. The lake level fluctuated slowly between about 60 to 80 m (200-260 ft) below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater, matching cycles of summit inflation and deflation. There were also several rise-fall cycles, during which the level fluctuated more rapidly.
On Kilauea’s east rift zone, surface lava flows on the coastal plain and pali have been relatively weak over the past week, with a few brief surges on the pali related to summit inflation and deflation. The active flow front was more than 1 km (0.6 miles) from the ocean. There was no active ocean entry. Incandescence was visible from three degassing vents within Pu`u `O`o, including the pit on the northeastern side of the crater floor which has held a small lava pond. The lava pond was too low to be directly visible via Webcam.
One earthquake was reported felt under the island of Hawai`i in the past week. A magnitude-3.4 earthquake occurred on Sunday, July 29, 2012, at 3:51 p.m., HST, and was located close to the Kahua Ranch Office, 14 km (8 mi) south of Hala`ula, at a depth of 20 km (12 mi).
Visit the HVO Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey`s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Comments Off
Sanjay Gupta Talks Health, Fitness, Tsunami, and More
August 5th, 2012
Dr. Sanjay Gupta was on Hawaii Island in June, with his “Fit Nation” triathlete team, and took the time to talk with Sherry Bracken, Mahalo Broadcasting’s host of its weekly interview show, Island Issues. Dr. Gupta talked about the latest information about sugar–how it affects our health, the relationship of sugar to cancer, why our nation has a problem with obesity. They also talked about the incoming debris from Japan and radiation, and more.
Gupta is the Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN, does reports for Sixty Minutes on CBS, has written books, and still maintains a practice in neurosurgery. His weekly program on CNN, Sanjay Gupta M. D., covers a wide range of topics. Forbes Magazine called Dr. Gupta one of the country’s most influential celebrities.
Gupta was here on the island staying at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bugalows with seven members of what he calls his “Fit Nation” team. For the third year in a row, CNN has selected seven ordinary Americans and worked with them to get them trained not only do a triathlon, but to change their lifestyle and become more healthy on an ongoing basis. This year the team will do the Malibu Triathlon in early September.
Bracken says Gupta is an engaging and interesting guest, and very knowledgeable about a wide variety of health matters. This is his second time as a guest on Island Issues. He was here in 2011 with his Fit Nation team.
The Island Issues broadcast will air Sunday morning, August 5, at 6:30 a.m. on KKOA 107.7 fm and at 8 a.m. on LAVA 105.3 fm. It’s also posted here at www.bigislandnewscenter.com, down on the right, for online listening or downloading.
Comments Off
New HELCO and Aina Koa Pono Contract Includes Surcharge to Bills
August 2nd, 2012Press release jointly issued by Hawaiian Electric Light Co (HELCO) and Aina Koa Pono:
Hawaii Electric Light Company today asked the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for approval of a new biofuel supply contract with Aina Koa Pono. Under the agreement, Aina Koa Pono would provide 16 million gallons per year of renewable biofuel to replace fossil fuel used at the Keahole Power Plant on Hawaii Island and other plants in the future. An additional 8 million gallons will be produced for sale to Mansfield Oil Company, a privately-owned fuel distributor. Aina Koa Pono, which is building a processing facility in Kau, will provide biofuel over 20 years at a fixed price formula, providing economic security from volatile oil prices. The new contract will save electricity customers $125 million over 20 years when compared to an earlier contract which was not approved by the PUC.
The use of renewable biofuel, along with many other renewable energy projects, will also help Hawaii meet the legal requirement that 40 percent of electricity come from renewable sources by 2030. The 16 million gallons of biofuel each year represents close to 100% of the Keahole plant’s present annualfossil fuel use.
Aina Koa Pono has entered into an agreement with Edmund C. Olson Trust II and the Mallick Trust to farm over 12,000 acres of under-utilized private agricultural land in Pahala that was once part of Kau Sugar Company. Aina Koa Pono will initially harvest and process existing invasive plants, eucalyptus trees and local green waste such as macadamia nut husks, tree trimmings, coffee pulp and hulls. Aina Koa Pono is working with the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center to select the most appropriate non-invasive perennial crops to farm and convert to biofuel, such as long-term tree crops, sweet sorghum varieties, non-seeding napier grass and other tested sterile grasses. Aina Koa Pono is also consulting with Hawaiian Islands Land Trust regarding appropriate biofuel crops.
“We are committed to being a good neighbor and steward, producing sorely needed renewable, clean fuel and bringing jobs and economic opportunity where they are greatly needed. We respect the community and its cultural character and believe that over time we will earn its trust,” said Chris Eldridge, Aina Koa Pono partner.
Construction is expected to require 400 workers over three years. The farm and processing plant will bring about 200 agricultural and processing jobs to Kau, create new businesses to support the industry, and generate substantial tax revenues, Eldridge said. The operation can provide other farmers a revenue stream from their agricultural waste.
Farmers can also benefit from the charcoal by-product that is an environmentally sound fertilizer. Aina Koa Pono has engaged R.M. Towill and SMS Research to conduct broad community outreach in Kau to identify issues and concerns of local residents. These voluntary efforts will include assessing how the operations and processes will affect the environment in and around Kau.
The PUC did not approve an earlier contract between Hawaii Electric Light Company and Aina Koa Pono, citing concerns about price and other considerations. The new contract contains a reduced price for review by the PUC with input from the Consumer Advocate.
“We have renegotiated the AKP contract to meet the PUC’s concerns and believe there is significant value to Hawaii of this and future biofuel contracts,” said Jay Ignacio, Hawaii Electric Light Company president. “If Hawaii is to reach our clean energy goals and get off oil, we need to pursue all possible renewable resources, including biofuel which can be a bridge to future technologies. Locally grown and processed biofuel can be used in existing power plants at costs that can help us stabilize volatile petroleum-based electricity prices. It can keep Hawaii green and create jobs rather than sending millions of dollars out of state for energy.”
The filing asks the PUC to approve sharing the cost difference between locally grown and produced renewable biofuel and the fossil fuel it replaces among customers of Hawaii Electric Light Company and Hawaiian Electric Company. If the proposed surcharge were in place in 2015, the estimated incremental cost spread among Hawaii Island and Oahu customers based on fuel price projections could be about 2/10th of one cent or from $0.84 to $1.00 per month for a residential bill of 500 to 600 kilowatt-hours.
The surcharge would not begin until AKP begins deliveries of biofuel and will decrease over time as petroleum-diesel prices rise.
“Hawaii Island already has the highest level of renewable energy in the state, getting more than 40% of its energy from renewable sources. Renewable energy requirements are calculated on a consolidated basis for all our service territories, so Oahu has benefited from Hawaii Island’s leadership,” said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president.
“This contract provides for future delivery of AKP biofuel to other islands. It’s reasonable that the cost of advancing a local biofuel industry in Hawaii be shared among more than just Hawaii Island customers.
Fossil fuel prices are expected to continue their erratic upward climb, so in time the cost of AKP biofuel is expected to be less than the cost of the oil it displaces,” Alm said. Aina Koa Pono has partnered with Mansfield Oil Company (mansfieldoil.com) to handle its distribution and supply arrangements for the biofuels produced by the Kau plant. Mansfield will also purchase some 8 million gallons of biofuel per year for sale and distribution first in Hawaii and then on the mainland.
Mansfield, which is privately owned, is one of the nation’s largest distributors of fuel and operates an integrated network of refiners, terminals, carriers and retailers throughout North America.
Aina Koa Pono will use a unique technology licensed from Sustainable Biofuels Solutions, LLC (SBS). This thermal microwave depolymerization (Micro Dee) technology is currently in use at a demonstration plant in North Carolina, which has been operational since early 2012. Micro Dee accelerates the natural decomposition and metamorphosis of biomass to crude liquid to just 50 minutes, Eldridge said. AECOM (aecom.com), a global engineering and technical services company, is completing tests of this technology. Results have met or exceeded projections and AECOM has determined that the Micro Dee process, now a second-generation technology, is now poised for optimal renewable liquid fuel production.
Comments Off
New Meaning for “Gravity of the Situation”
July 19th, 2012
[/media-credit] An HVO scientist measures gravity at a station on the rim of Kilauea caldera with the plume from the summit eruption in Halema`uma`u Crater in the background
Most of us think of gravity as a constant. Students of physics know that the gravitational constant is 9.8 m per squared-second (32 ft/s/s), while the rest of us are simply confident in gravity as a force that holds us to the ground and is uniform everywhere,
It turns out that gravity isn’t quite as constant as we might think.
We all know that gravity decreases the farther one gets from Earth. For example, the gravity on the top of Mount Everest is slightly lower than the gravity at sea level, because the mountain is farther from the center of Earth. In fact, a 150-pound person would weigh only 149.58 pounds at the top of Mount Everest. Consider that as an alternative to dieting the next time you are looking to lose a little weight!
Gravity also varies according to local geology. An area with a lot of mass buried beneath the surface will have slightly stronger gravity than if there is less mass beneath your feet. For example, if a deposit of copper is present beneath the ground, gravity will be slightly stronger (by about 0.000001 times) than if no copper deposit is present.
Although this seems like an incredibly small amount, a specialized gravity-monitoring instrument, called a gravimeter, can measure such minute variations in the strength of Earth’s gravitational field. Measurement locations with strong gravity are probably underlain by a large amount of mass, while weaker gravity means less mass. Gravimeters have been used for decades in mapping buried ore and petroleum deposits, because they detect subtle differences in gravity that might indicate, for instance, an iron or oil deposit beneath the ground.
The same principle can also be applied to volcano monitoring. In fact, gravity has been measured in Hawai`i for over 50 years.
Surveys of over 3,300 sites across the Island of Hawai`i have defined the gravity field associated with Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, and Kohala volcanoes. The summits and rift zones of all the volcanoes are underlain by large masses compared to other parts of the island. These massive areas probably reflect solidified magma that cooled in summit magma chambers and rift zone conduits.
Repeating the gravity measurements over time at the same locations enables scientists to track changes in gravity that might be related to volcanic activity. At a volcano, gravity increases as magma accumulates beneath the subsurface and decrease when magma drains away. Magma accumulation is usually also accompanied by inflation of the surface, so the combination of gravity and deformation monitoring provides a strong indication of whether or not an eruption is becoming more likely.
Measurements at Kilauea since 1975, however, indicate that gravity is increasing with no inflation of the surface. This implies that mass is accumulating beneath the surface without pushing the surface upwards. Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) concluded that magma must have therefore been accumulating in a void space, like open cracks, that exist about 1.6 km (1 mi) beneath the surface.
Kilauea is one of only a few active volcanoes in the world with a network of continuous gravity stations. In the last two years, HVO has been collecting continuous gravity data from a few sites around the volcano. Using those data, it is possible to observe subtle, small-scale changes (as small as 0.000000001 times the standard value) in gravity related to, for example, variations in lava level within Kilauea’s summit eruptive vent.
Although less well-known than seismic, gas, deformation, and geologic monitoring, gravity is nonetheless an important method for mapping the subsurface and tracking changes at Hawaiian volcanoes. Now you know that the “gravity of the situation” is never constant!
Kilauea activity update
A lava lake within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent resulted in night-time glow that was visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook during the past week. The lake has been about 60–80 m (200–260 ft) below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater and was visible by HVO’s Webcam through much of the last month. This past week, the level fluctuated slightly due to three deflation-inflation (DI) cycles at the summit and several gas-driven rise-fall cycles.
On Kilauea’s east rift zone, surface lava flows on the pali and coastal plain continued to be active. The flow front has made no net advancement over the past week and has lingered 1.0-1.5 km (0.6-1.0 mi) from the water, near the boundary of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. There was no active ocean entry. Within Pu`u `O`o, a lava pond was active in the eastern portion of the crater.
No earthquakes were reported felt under the island of Hawai`i in the past week.
Visit the HVO Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for detailed Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai activity updates, recent volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kilauea summary; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Comments Off
A Chorus Line: A Singular Sensation
July 14th, 2012
This review was written by local resident Tina Owens:
Aloha Performing Arts Company’s opening night of the Broadway musical “A Chorus Line” proved to be a singular sensation. The cast of local talent really stretched themselves and their abilities to learn the extremely complicated script, songs and, of course, the dancing. The entire first half of the show is one seamless flow of comedy, pathos and action, with each member of the rather large ensemble cast contributing to the intricate interweaving of stories.
I enjoyed this show especially because every lyric and every line was clear and easy to hear. With the orchestra now up above the stage, the music projects evenly throughout the hall and doesn’t overpower one section of the audience.
But the main praise belongs to the cast and the orchestra. Since virtually every character is on stage for the entire length of the show, often in vigorous action, it is easy to appreciate how much energy is required for each performance. The orchestra did a superb job of the very complicated score, unobtrusive and subtle when needed and right on target at the big finale.
If you’re looking for a fun, happy evening, it’s APAC Hawaii’s “A Chorus Line.”
“A Chorus Line” is on stage now at the Aloha Theater in Kainaliu, around 15 minutes south of Kailua-Kona. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through July 29. Tickets are online at www.alohatheatre.com, where you may see and select your actual seats. You may also try to get tickets at the door, but this run is expected to sell out early so advance purchase is recommended. The theater box office also takes phone calls Mondays through Thursdays, at 808-322-9924.
Comments Off
Finance Director Responds to Yagong Charge: No, We Do Not Pad Budget
June 22nd, 2012
Nancy Crawford
Received from Nancy Crawford, Finance Director, and reprinted in its entirety. The Island Issues to which Ms. Crawford refers aired on Sunday morning, June 17, and is available for online listening or downloading at this web site, www.bigislandnewscenter.down on the right.
June 21, 2012
In an interview Sunday, June 17th with Sherry Bracken on Island Issues on LAVA 105 and KKOA , Dominic Yagong stated his staff told him that at Finance’s initial budget meeting last August with the departments, including the legislative branch, employees were told “Your job is to pad the budget and Council and Administration job is to find cuts.” There were no such statements made at the meeting and I cannot imagine anything that was said that could have been so misunderstood.
Approximately 90 county employees attended the meeting and it was available on-line to all offices on our intranet system, where additional employees watched. We worked with those employees for the next six months developing the budget that was submitted to the County Council in March. Not once did any employee express confusion at the fact that they were required to reduce costs further for the fourth year in a row.
I have been attending budget kick-off meetings for fifteen years. Never has there been a statement remotely advocating padding a budget. Even during the best of economic times, the instructions remained the same. Departments are to submit a status quo budget, meaning there is no allowance for increases other than those beyond departmental control, such as utilities or contractually determined salaries. Any additional or increased expenditure items are requested and justified on separate Supplemental Budget Request forms. After careful review, decisions are made to allow or disallow the requests.
In 2008, and during each subsequent year, the Budget Administrator has directed departments to scrutinize and trim budgets. Instructions given each fall have included statements such as:
2008 – We ask that you critically review and assess your core functions and service levels and exercise sound management and fiscal prudence in formulating your budget requests.
2009 – The need for fiscal prudence and discipline is more important than ever. Departments are instructed to submit a significantly reduced budget request reflecting the current hiring restrictions and the Mayor’s budget directives.
2010 – Under each expenditure account, all line items need to be individually reviewed and scrutinized.
2011 – The County is faced with financial uncertainties and major challenges. We need everyone to do their part in reviewing and assessing their operations. Funding increases are limited to inflationary increase from uncontrollable cost items (such as utilities).
Mr. Yagong’s assertion not only attacks the integrity and professionalism of the Finance Department in directing the budget process for the County of Hawai‘i, it ignores the tremendous contribution that each of the County departments have made in reducing the budget for four years in a row, from $403 million in 2008 to $365 million in 2012.
The County’s “sound financial position during the economic downturn through strong management” was recently recognized as a significant factor in Fitch Ratings affirming our current bond rating of AA-, with a Stable Rating Outlook.
Nancy Crawford
Director of Finance
County of Hawai‘i
961-8234
Comments Off
