USGS MAUNA LOA MORNING UPDATE FOR DAY 7

USGS-HVO - Lava eruption from fissure 3 on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa continues, but the threat to aviation of significant volcanic ash emission into the atmosphere has passed. For this reason, HVO is reducing the aviation color code from RED to ORANGE. The ground-based volcano alert level will remain at WARNING, reflecting the ongoing hazards of the fissure 3 lava flow. Lava flows are slowly moving north toward Daniel K. Inouye Highway and are spreading out and inflating (thickening) as they advance over low-sloping ground. The fronts of lava flows can break open unexpectedly, sending flows in several directions. Rain on lava creates steam and reduces visibility. If visiting the County of Hawai'i public viewing area, remain with your vehicle and do not approach the flows. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary flight restriction extending from the surface to 1500 feet (457 meters) above ground level in the eruption area. See: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_2_9210.html ----------- MAP - Coherence map from comparison of radar images showing surface change on Mauna Loa through Dec 2 at 6:13 AM HST. Blue indicates areas covered by lava. These high-resolution COSMO-SkyMed data will be used to update HVO’s forthcoming map.