Kim and I were at Kalapana when Kilauea erupted in 1982, and here we are in Waikoloa in 2022 when Mauna Loa awakened. Here are pics from our guest bedroom. Awesome view!
No disaster. Not even close. Nobody’s threatened. Locals celebrate the creation of land. It’s a good reminder of how small we humans are. I’m looking forward to darkness to see more of the ultimate light show.
No disaster. Not even close. Nobody’s threatened. Locals celebrate the creation of land. It’s a good reminder of how small we humans are. I’m looking forward to darkness to see more of the ultimate light show.
You’re referring to Kilauea. Been erupting for 38-ish years non-stop. Wife and I may have been the closest humans to the initial eruption. A lava fountain 200-300 feet tall. I have a crapton of pictures. We bugged out when the ash started covering the car. Pretty wild to watch. It ultimately took out the highway and Kalapana town, Queen’s Bath, etc. A few years ago it took much of Leilani Estates outside of Pahoa and most of Kapoho. My wife’s childhood stomping grounds, and the main vent was 2 blocks from her childhood house. I’m a wee bit familiar as we’ve had a presence here since we got married. This eruption is nothing like Kilauea, which is the longest eruption in recorded history. This one’s way up high and mostly contained to the caldera with one flow moving toward the saddle. No evacuations, no civil emergency. Life is normal today.
If there's any problems or marked changes created by volcanoes it's usually the airborne ash or tephra that's the cause. In 1992 Mt.Spurr NW of Anchorage let go 3 times. The June event blew north and covered land and water on our side of the Alaska Range both East and West of Fairbanks. My Cub on floats at a remote lake was covered with ash and it took a few days of pumping water plus brushing to get rid of it. Later that Fall, and especially the following Spring, phytoplankton and algal production increased turning the water green from the input of nutrients. Other nearby volcanic activity (White River-Wrangell Mts and Novarupta-Katmai/King Salmon/Kodiak area) displaced locals from using the land and resources. All natural but life changing for them.
Kilauea continues to erupt, Mauna Loa erupts, and there’s snow on Mauna Kea. My wife and I sat on the rocks and watched surfers in the bay where her parents’ ashes are scattered. She’s a happy girl. In my life? This is a good day. Aloha!