Pu’u O’o vent is back in action this morning!

These are really exciting times around Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.  I check the Hawaii Volcano Observatory Kilauea updates and web camera images fairly regularly.  For quite a while there’s not been much going on incandescence-wise at Puu Oo, but take a look at the above image that I captured from the observatory’s web cam just this morning.

It was a year ago that Pu’u O’o was a large lava lake.  Take a look at the images captured last year.

In other Kilauea updates:

• There’s an amazing lava pond and fountain that is shooting waves of lava up to 45 feet high.  Scientists say it’s been years since they’ve seen lava fountains as impressive as this one.  The lava fountain is located 2 miles from the Kilauea summit and 6 miles from the ocean.  It is inaccessible by foot.  The best way to see lava fountains is by helicopter tour.  KGMB has a great story and video.
• The lava tube system that had been transporting lava to the ocean at Waikupanaha entry point seems to have been blocked and now there are only “dribbles” lava flowing to the ocean., per KITV No plume has been reported for a couple of days now.  The tube blockage is producing surface flows.  UPDATE:  more recent reports indicate that lava is flowing back to the ocean at a good steady rate.
• Halemaumau crater located in the Volcanoes National Park continues to produce it’s impressive plume.

It’s absolutely amazing!  Isn’t it?