Major Lava Bench Collapses Into Ocean

A major lava bench along the coastline of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has collapsed into the ocean.

The 58-acre East Lae’apuki Bench disappeared into the ocean sometime on the night of Tuesday, August 14th. The collapse may have been caused in part by heavy surf generated by Hurricane Flossie and in part by last week’s 5.4 earthquake.

The photo above shows the bench before its collapse. For before and after photos and additional details, click on “More Information” below.