Observations conducted Sunday at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano revealed the presence of a third “pond” of water in Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
Halema‘uma‘u has not had a pond of water since written observations began, although scientists acknowledge certain Native Hawaiian chants mention the presence of water ponds on the caldera floor.
For the first time in recorded history, a pond of water has been discovered inside the Halema’uma’u crater of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. This unprecedented discovery raises concerns from scientists for more explosive eruptions in the future.
The following video by USGS and recorded on August 4, 2019, shows steaming from the main pond of water at the bottom of the crater.
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”IHgnPWXo” upload-date=”2019-08-06T19:57:22.000Z” name=”Steaming pond of water at bottom of Kilauea crater” description=”For the first time in recorded history, 3 ponds of water have been discovered inside the Halemaumau crater of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. New video by USGS shows the steaming pond.”]
New thermal images indicate that the water surface is roughly 70°C (158°F) and kept hot by geothermal magmatic heat.
Moreover, they show the presence of two smaller areas of ponded water. So three in overall.
As of Saturday, the main pond was about 36 feet in diameter, and the smaller pond was about 20-23 feet in diameter. But they grow as shown in the images below and new ponds appear…
Do you think we will soon have a lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater?
Do you think those mysterious ponds of water at the bottom of the crater of Kilauea volcano mean that the next eruption is near? Today, Kīlauea Volcano is not erupting and the alert level is at NORMAL / GREEN.