Monday, Jan 7, 2008
“It fascinates, enthralls, overwhelms. The camera cannot measure its depth, convey its sounds, or depict its glow. Those and only those who have heard its roar or felt its burning heat can ever know the power, the wonder, the magic of the spell it casts upon one.” -- Frances King Headler, June 11, 1909
Who could have known that the fountains of fire that first lit up the night sky on January 3, 1983, would continue to burn so brightly a quarter century later?
The longest-lived rift activity of a Hawaiian volcano in the past 800 years entered its 25th year in 2008, and there is no end in sight. Every minute, another 50,000 gallons of molten rock gush from cracks on the volcano's flank. The eruption has produced enough lava to cover the entire District of Columbia to a depth of 62 feet.
Lava has buried the park’s coastal visitor center and campground, miles of road, and tens of thousands of archeological features. It has torched expansive tracts of woodland and rainforest, home to rare species of native plants and animals.
But wherever lava spills into the sea, the island grows. During the past 25 years, more than 200 acres of new land have been added to the park…without political fanfare or Congressional approval.
Every day, visitors arrive by the thousands to stand on the edge of creation. Those most fortunate see rivers of molten rock cascade down the mountainside, ignite trees, overrun roads, and pour into the sea. They hear the booms of methane explosions and the hiss, pops, and crackles of advancing flows. Lava's radiance warms hands and hearts.
A 2100°F lava flow is by its very nature self-governing. The park maintains a superlative safety record. Visitors value life and most heed warnings.
The volcano vents nearly 2,000 tons of sulfur dioxide a day, enough noxious gas to fill 100 Goodyear blimps. During his visit to Kilauea in 1866, Mark Twain quipped that “the smell of sulfur is strong but not unpleasant to a sinner.” Park staff avoid the fumes and advise visitors do the same.
“Pele, the sacred living deity of Hawai‘i’s volcanoes, controls the limitless power of creation through her perseverance, molten strength, and unearthly beauty,” said Pele Hanoa, a renowned and world-respected Hawiian cultural expert in 2004. “Her passion emanates from her ancient existence. Revered and honored is the fire goddess. She is my spiritual guardian and forever the heartbeat of my soul, continuously giving life to her land and its people.”
At Kilauea, the very ground is sacred to Native Hawaiians. Lava flows and volcanic formations are manifestations of Pele-honua-mea, a deity both feared and revered. When her molten body moves, the ground trembles and the sky is afire—those who know whisper in awe, "‘Ae, aia la o Pele (yes, there is Pele)."
The mountain continues its evolution in a place where footsteps often cannot be retraced. It is here on earth’s most active volcano that everlasting memories are forged. How appropriate on this, the occasion of the eruption’s silver anniversary, to reflect upon what was and look forward to what will be.
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