Prelim Lava Flow Thickness Map For Mauna Loa

This map was made by a collaboration between NASA and USGS, showing the lava flows as of December 7th on Mauna Loa. While the data here does not capture the final stage of the eruption, it captures the majority of the lava erupted and changes in elevation on Mauna Loa. The highest new elevation points the map contains reach up roughly 65ft. "By comparing to pre-eruption maps of this area’s topography, including GLISTIN-A data collected in 2017, the USGS researchers were able to calculate the size and volume of the lava flow. Over the roughly 14-day eruption, Mauna Loa erupted more than 8.8 billion cubic feet (230 million cubic meters) along a lava flow that extended up to 16.5 miles (19.5 kilometers) from the vent, according to the USGS." "The UAVSAR operates from a pod mounted beneath a crewed Gulfstream III jet from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. Repeated topographic maps generated with each flight reveal the progression and thickening of lava with time—important information for scientific understanding of volcano processes and for emergency response." NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens. Full article: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150736/sizing-up-mauna-loas-lava-flows