Maunaloa Summary, Day 11: Output Drops, Channels Drain & Higher Fountains

A major change emerged overnight on the 11th day of Maunaloa's eruption, as the lava output at Fissure 3 dropped significantly, draining the lava channels that fed the downslope lava flows. The spatter cone surrounding Fissure 3 has evolved massively over the past day, growing by fallout from up to 500 ft / 150 m lava fountains, then collapsing to block its lava outlets in between surges. Overall this pattern is consistent with the ending stages of historical eruptions, though some take longer to finish than others. The long lava flow is now settling by gravity to expand its footprint, but is no longer advancing towards Daniel K. Inouye Highway, a.k.a. Saddle Road, easing the concern of island commuters and residents. It ultimately reached 1.75 miles / 2.8 km from the cross-island highway before stalling yesterday. While volcanic gas emissions continue, vog continues to be reported from the Humuʻula Saddle region and the Kona coast, among other places. Without further changes, there remains little threat to people or property. On Kīlauea, the summit lava lake remains mostly crusted over, occasionally overturning with fresh lava, seemingly inhibited from further surface activity by Maunaloa's eruption. If a pause is forthcoming, the surface activity would have 3 months to resume before the eruption would be considered over. We review the most important imagery including the USGS live feed, monitoring signals, reports, and earthquakes, annotating and discussing live viewer questions as usual. https://youtu.be/BW8Ah1C-la4