The presence of water in Halema‘uma‘u has sparked an important discussion about what the pond means for future eruptions at Kilauea Volcano. There are no written records of water at the summit, so to guide the discussion we need information about magma-water interaction from deposits of the past.

Good fences make good neighbors goes the old saying, and maybe in the old days it was the case. Stone walls are traditional and impressive, but expensive. Today, we have so many choices that an unattractive fence might create all kinds of neighbor problems depending on type of material used.

In the past, HVO would occasionally post images of people collecting lava samples on our website. These photos usually featured a person (with little-exposed skin) holding a rock hammer, with a metal bucket nearby. The bucket contained water to “quench” the sample, solidifying the hot lava into a cold glass. Natural-fiber or heat-resistant gloves, and sometimes a face mask, protected the sample collector from heat radiating off the 1150-degrees-Celsius (2,100-degrees-Fahrenheit) lava. The hammer was used to scoop some of the molten material into the bucket, which would hiss and steam in reaction; more water would be added to cool down the sample so it could be placed in a cloth bag.

Spring officially occurs when the sun reaches the Equator as it appears to move northward. Of course what is actually happening is that the earth is tilting toward the South Pole and will continue to do so until June 21. Then it is officially Summer. Since we are roughly at latitude 19 degrees north, the sun will appear to move northward for a short time and then move toward the south until December 21. Many plants respond to day length including plants that form bulbs.

Last week’s Volcano Watch provided details of events leading up to the dropping of bombs on a Mauna Loa lava flow on December 27, 1935. Here’s the rest of the story.

Thanks to the Hawaii Culinary Foundation, Chef Chad Yamamoto, presently the executive chef at Merriman’s in Waimea and formerly the Chef de Cuisine for Ulu at the Four Seasons, Hualalai; Nuri Piccio, sushi chef at Ulu at the Four seasons, Hualalai; and Sean Franco also of the Four Seasons, recently worked with the students at Hawaii Community College’s Culinary Arts program.

In late February 2020, Hawaii media reported on the recent discovery of two bombs on the north flank of Mauna Loa, but details were lacking. Today, we offer more info.

When it comes to community out reach, The University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture Extension Service is comparable to the way Peace Corps reaches out to folks in other countries. The Master Gardener program is an important componant of the UHCTAHR Extension Service. That program is set up to assist local folks with home gardening issues.

Hurricane season is normally from June through November but we frequently get our worst storm damage from those that originate to the north of us in March.