Toxic cloud as lava streams into sea
HAWAII: White plumes of acid and extremely fine shards of glass billowed into the sky over Hawaii as molten rock from Kilauea volcano poured into the ocean, creating yet another hazard from an eruption that began more than two weeks ago.
Authorities on Sunday warned the public to stay away from the toxic steam cloud, which is formed by a chemical reaction when lava touches seawater.
Further upslope, lava continued to gush out of large cracks in the ground that formed in residential neighbourhoods in a rural part of the Big Island. The molten rock formed rivers that bisected forests and farms as it meandered toward the coast.
The rate of sulfur dioxide gas shooting from the ground fissures tripled, leading Hawaii County to repeat warnings about air quality. At the volcano’s summit, two explosive eruptions unleashed clouds of ash. Winds carried much of the ash toward the southwest.
Joseph Kekedi, an orchid grower who lives and works about 5km from where lava dropped into the sea, said that luckily the flow didn’t head toward him. At one point, it was about a 1.6km upslope from his property in the coastal community of Kapoho.
He said residents can’t do much but stay informed and be ready to get out of the way.
“Here’s nature reminding us again who’s boss,” Kekedi said.
Scientists said the steam clouds at the spots where lava entered the ocean were laced with hydrochloric acid and fine glass particles that can irrigate the skin and eyes and cause breathing problems.
The lava haze, or “laze”, from the plume spread as far as 24km west of where the lava met the ocean on the Big Island’s southern coast. It was just offshore and running parallel to the coast, said US Geological Survey scientist Wendy Stovall.
Scientists said the acid in the plume was about as corrosive as diluted battery acid.
The glass was in the form of fine glass shards. Getting hit by it might feel like being sprinkled with glitter.
“If you’re feeling stinging on your skin, go inside,” Stovall said. Authorities warned that the plume could shift direction if the winds changed.
The Coast Guard said it was enforcing a safety zone extending 300m around the ocean entry point.
Coast Guard Lieutenant-Commander John Bannon said on Sunday that “getting too close to the lava can result in serious injury or death”.
On Saturday, the eruption claimed its first major injury. David Mace, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency who was helping Hawaii County respond to the disaster, said a man was struck on the leg by a flying piece of lava. He didn’t have further details.
Kilauea has burnt some 40 structures, including two dozen homes, since it began erupting in people’s backyards in the Leilani Estates neighbourhood on May 3. About 2 000 people have evacuated their homes, including 300 who were staying in shelters. – AP