Posted on: Saturday, August 7, 2004
Pu'u 'O'o erupts live on Web
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
Internet-savvy lava watchers can now get a near real-time view of Kilauea's Pu'u 'O'o vent from a webcam newly installed on the north rim of the crater.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory "It certainly helps us monitor the volcano, and we thought we'd share it with the public," said Don Swanson, scientist in charge of the observatory, which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey. "It's in an area you can't get to, so this is the only way you can see it. When something gets going in there, it will be spectacular."
Pu'u 'O'o is where magma first reaches the surface, or enters the lava tube system below the surface, after traveling 60 miles up from the Earth's interior.
The area is closed to hikers for safety reasons. The only legal way for visitors to see into the crater is from the air.
For researchers, a visit to the crater involves a daylong hike or chartered helicopter.
The camera takes three images every 45 seconds, panning from east to west, to create a panorama of the entire crater. Prominent features such as the vents, crater floor and walls are labeled, and a text box provides daily updates of activity.
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
The camera can tilt, pan and zoom, controlled remotely from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Still images from video are updated every five minutes on the observatory's Web site.
A camera on the north rim of Pu'u 'O'o crater shoots three still images every 45 seconds to create a panorama view like this one, which can be seen on the Web at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam.
