📌 Hawaii's Pele: Eruption 'Imminent'?
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📌 Hawaii's Pele: Eruption 'Imminent'?
Powerful Lava Flows, Air Quality Poor, Schools Closed, Buildings Destroyed
While mainstream news sites like to amplify the danger and excitement to develop a dramatic impetus for you to watch their broadcasts, I would like to present some very brief scientific analysis.
Are we approaching a huge eruption as in 1790?
“We see absolutely no evidence for that... the situation in 1790, was there had been almost 300 years of explosive activity … also in 1790 there were multiple vents in the caldera, we just see no evidence of multiple vent locations today.”
What happened in 1790 versus now?
The 1790 eruption of Kīlauea was explosive, and its major impacts were in the summit area of the volcano. The eruption taking place now at Kīlauea is effusive. This flow is erupting from a site named Pu'u 'Ō'ō on the east rift zone, far from the summit area, and lava has to flow many kilometers (several miles) before reaching inhabited areas.
Explosive eruptions are very hazardous; the 1790 fatalities bear witness to this fact. Lava flows are not very hazardous to life but can be exceedingly destructive to property. Explosive eruptions are brief but terrifying. Lava flows often last for months or more and are captivating to the viewer. Kīlauea has both types of eruptions, but not at the same time. Science Daily
I’m not sure what constitutes a ‘vent’, this footage shows amazing lava flows.
About Kīlauea & the Hawaiian Goddess ‘Pele’
Kīlauea is a currently an active volcano that is located on the island of Hawaiʻi and is still being extensively studied. Many Hawaiians believe Kilauea to be inhabited by a "family of fire gods", one of the sisters being Pele, who is believed to govern Kilauea and is responsible for controlling its lava flows.
There are several traditional legends associated with Pele in Hawaiian mythology. In addition to being recognized as the goddess of volcanoes, Pele is also known for her power, passion, jealousy, and capriciousness. She has numerous siblings, including Kāne Milohai, Kamohoaliʻi, Nāmaka and numerous sisters named Hiʻiaka, the most famous being Hiʻiakaikapoliopele (Hiʻiaka in the bosom of Pele). They are usually considered to be the offspring of Haumea. Pele's siblings include deities of various types of wind, rain, fire, ocean wave forms, and cloud forms. Her home is believed to be the fire pit called Halemaʻumaʻu crater, at the summit caldera of Kīlauea, one of the Earth's most active volcanoes; but her domain encompasses all volcanic activity on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi.
