Kīlauea & Maunaloa Update, August 12, 2021

Earthquakes trend slightly upwards on Kīlauea as magma swells underground, while Maunaloa remains quiet. Other Kīlauea monitoring signals continue to suggest gradual inflation without any acceleration, perpetuating the curiosity of whether that eruption “resumes” by returning lava to the surface before August 24th, or if the next activity will be called a “new” eruption by crossing the three-month threshold without effusion. We continue our weekly review of new imagery, monitoring data and reports courtesy of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory for both volcanoes, including today's historical Volcano Watch on the deadly 1790 eruption. In our bonus segment, we present the geologic stories of the volcano deity Pelehonuamea, often called “the goddess Pele”, including her travels across the Hawaiian islands, battles with her sister Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, and love affairs with Lohiʻau, a human chieftain, and Kamapuaʻa, the demi-god hog. These are sourced largely from materials by Don Swanson and Scott Rowland within USGS Open-File Report 2017-1043, “Conversing with Pelehonuamea: A Workshop Combining 1,000+ Years of Traditional Hawaiian Knowledge with 200 Years of Scientific Thought on Kīlauea Volcanism”, of which only a small part is selectively presented and augmented today. This program is brought to you in part by a grant from the Hawaiʻi Island Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation in partnership with the County of Hawaiʻi, and from smaller donations from viewers like you. https://youtu.be/qxhxFenvlVg