who builds a forest on a volcano, i tells ya

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Third Crack Found in Forested Area on Hawaii's Kilauea, Threatening Rare Plants

and Species

 

 

Third Crack Found in Forested Area on Hawaii's Kilauea, Threatening Rare Plants

and Species

June 21, 2007 — By Jaymes Song, Associated Press

 

HONOLULU -- A third large crack has formed on Kilauea, one of the world's most

active volcanoes, park officials said Wednesday. A forest area that is home to

rare plants and species could be in danger.

 

The fissure, spotted in an area a few miles southeast of Kilauea's summit, is

near two others discovered since hundreds of small earthquakes were recorded in

the area Sunday, suggesting magma, or underground lava, was shifting beneath the

surface.

 

The fissure was spewing steam, but was not oozing lava like the others did. Heat

from the fissures could spark a fire, scientists said.

 

" There's just smoldering, there's no open flames or anything like that, " Jim

Gale, a spokesman for the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, said of the most

recent fissure found. " We're very fortunate because we just had a series of

rains so the area is relatively wet. "

 

The area is home to honeycreeper birds, happy face spiders and damselflies.

There are also native trees and ferns found nowhere else in the state.

 

" This is a real vital part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It's a vital

habitat, " Gale said.

 

Officials were considering setting up water pools in the area to help extinguish

possible fires.

 

Scientists also detected hazardous sulfur dioxide concentrations greater than 10

parts-per-million near Kilauea's summit, according to the U.S. Geological

Survey's Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory. The levels would be toxic to humans,

but the public generally isn't allowed near the summit.

 

The earthquakes seem to have slowed since Tuesday with fewer than 10 small

earthquakes per hour being recorded in the upper east rift zone, where the

fissures have appeared, officials said.

 

On Tuesday, a small outbreak of lava oozed about 150 feet from a 600-foot-long

fissure. The lava was cooling and not advancing, the U.S. Geological Survey

said.

 

Areas of the park, including the popular Pu'u 'O'o Trail, were closed as safety

precautions.

 

Kilauea has been erupting continuously since Jan. 3, 1983, sending lava from the

Pu'u 'O'o cone through a system of tubes to the ocean, where it forms new land

over time.

 

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On the Net:

 

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/

 

Source: Associated Press

 

 

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I don't wanna grow up

I don't ever want to be that way

I don't wanna grow up

Seems that folks turn into things

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