Park volunteer Janice took this photo last night of visitors obeying the posted signs and staying behind the white NPS rope lines and upwind of the volcanic plumes created at the Kamokuna ocean entry.
Let's repeat the same message we shared yesterday about the ocean entry and its hazards:
Stay upwind of those fume clouds! Under our current wind conditions, if you hike in to the park from the eastern side (Kalapana) you will be upwind and have the safest view of the ocean entry and lava delta from that angle.
If you hike in from the western side of the ocean entry (end of Chain of Craters Road), follow the rope line from where lava crossed the road inland and over to the eastern side. It adds an extra mile to your hike, but you’ll be able to get safely upwind of the fume clouds. It’s a handy reference.
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory states: “As a strong caution to visitors viewing the Kamokuna lava flow ocean entry, there are additional significant hazards besides walking on uneven surfaces and around unstable, extremely steep sea cliffs. Venturing too close to an ocean entry exposes you to flying debris created by the explosive interaction between lava and water. Also, the new land created is unstable because it is built on unconsolidated lava fragments and sand. This loose material can easily be eroded away by surf, causing the new land to become unsupported and slide into the sea. In several instances, such collapses, once started, have also incorporated parts of the older sea cliff. Finally, the interaction of lava with the ocean creates an acidic plume laden with fine volcanic particles that can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs.”
NPS Photo/Janice Wei
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