[Rockhounds] Hawaii eruptions and earthquakes

[Kitty]

Today is clear and sunny where we are, and we can see the top of Mauna 
Kea above, and turn around in the other direction and see the horizon 
over Hilo Bay.  The only inkling that there is a volcanic eruption 25 
miles away from our house is that we occasionally feel a small 
earthquake, not big enough to make noise or rattle the dishes in the 
cupboard (or rocks in glass cabinets).

Typically in the past the winds take the vog west and then north and 
thus Honolulu often has more vog than Hilo does.  That appears to be the 
case so far, because we have not had any vog, ash or fumes at our house 
or in Hilo city proper when we go there to do errands.

The native Hawaiians take the belief in Madam Pele very seriously.  They 
accept what destruction lava and earthquakes do, and make offerings to 
please her all year round, and especially when the volcano is active.  
We've seen personally and in the news media some offerings to Pele, 
which range from plants, flowers, fruit or coconuts -- some of them 
wrapped in Ti Leaves -- to bottles of wine or gin, candy, or a thermos 
of hot coffee!

As of today there are 19 fissures with lava spewing out of them, some 
with explosions of steam and rocks.  The areal view from TV news shows 
parallel lines of smoke going through trees and neighborhoods, with some 
lava spreading across roads, between -- and sometimes devouring -- 
buildings, some of them homes.

We are all waiting for The Explosion, which experts say will undoubtedly 
come, but the wait could be for several months!! Here's a link to a list 
of earthquakes in Hawaii that were over magnitude 6.1.  We lived in 
Honolulu for the two in the 1970's and we suffered from the vog, but 
that's all.  Of the three more recent ones we were on the Big Island and 
we definitely felt them!  It varies a lot where you are in relation to 
the location of the earthquake.  The one 10 days ago was stronger than 
the one in 2006, we were in the same house, but for the recent one there 
was just some small damage to a china cup and a few rocks. However the 
one in 2006 wreaked havoc around the house.  For example, we could not 
get into our study at first because the floor was covered with books!

  We hope for the best as the days and weeks (maybe months??) go by, but 
we cannot do anything to prevent Madam Pele's work.  We do our best to 
help the refugees from the lava.  That's all we can do.  (But we'll keep 
our vases and especially delicate rocks in safe places!)

Aloha, Kitty

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Hawaii


On 5/14/2018 5:46 AM, Axel Emmermann wrote:
> Hi Kitty and Bill,
>
> How's the air on the Mauna Kea slopes? Breathable, good, sulfurous,
> noxious???
> We think of you guys a lot these days and we follow the news closely.
> Get Pele a bottle of gin... that just might help.
>
> Aloha from Axel and Christel
>