Mauna Loa Northeast Rift Zone Lava Flow - November 29, 2022
11:48 PM · Nov 29, 2022An ‘a‘ā lava flow on the northeast flank of Mauna Loa. This lava flow is several meters thick and moving to the northeast. 'A'ā flows have a rough rubbly surface composed of broken lava blocks called clinkers. The clinkery surface covers a massive dense core, which is the most active part of the flow. As pasty lava in the core travels downslope, the clinkers are carried along at the surface. At the leading edge of an ‘a‘ā flow, however, these cooled fragments tumble down the steep front and are buried by the advancing flow. This produces a layer of lava fragments both at the bottom and top of an ‘a‘ā flow. Via USGS
This looks very much like the 1984 'a'ā flow at the end of Powerline Road from the Saddle Road side when I was there in 1987 - which is as tall as a house. - For a map that shows Powerline Road and the 1984 lava flows in the area see https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/nature/mauna-loa-1984.htm, and keep in mind that the contour lines are in meters. - Thank you for posting this, gives me a lot better idea what we're looking at.
Nov 30, 2022