Hawaii Volcanoes National Park reopens without lava or lava radiation | Smart News

The eruption of the Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii in May triggered a summer punctuated by earthquakes, ash plumes and lava flows that destroyed about 700 houses on the Big Island. Naturally, as a result of eruptive activity, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – which encompasses Kīlauea – has closed its doors to the public. Now that the fallout seems to have finally been settled, Mark Kaufman Mashable points out that some parts of the park should reopen to the public tomorrow. For those who know the park, when they come back, they will notice a radical change in its landscape: the total absence of lava.

"It will not be the same park as in the past," said Mike Nelson, executive director of the Volcano Art Center, which hosts a gallery at the park's Volcano House Hotel, in an interview with Melody Gonzales. "We also do not expect the volume and revenues to be the same in the past … but we are not losing hope."

About a week after the start of the Kīlauea eruption, the majority of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was forced to proceed with the longest closure in its history. Before closing, the park welcomed nearly 5,500 visitors each day, according to a press release from the National Parks Service. A significant portion of this traffic involved the gleaming lava lake of Halema'uma'u crater – a pool of swirling rocks rocked at the top of the Kīlauea summit caldera. But the eruption of Kīlauea drained the pool in a series of fire ridges, allowing the lava to come out of its many cracks. Now, all that remains is a huge gaping mouth that, in many areas destroyed by seismic activity, dives to depths of 1,500 feet.

This is the first time that Halema's crater 'uma' has been empty for about ten years, after it's filled up after a similar eruptive drain in 1924. And that's Not all: lava flows from crater Pu'u'Ō'ō have also stopped – and all of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is now devoid of their lure of lustrous luster.

For weeks, all eyes turned to crack 8, a gash of dirt where lava erupted in early May. In early August, after three months of cracks in the oceanic melted rock, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory tentatively announced that production had dropped. The initial decline in activity was not enough to reopen the park. However, volcanic eruptions are infamous for their ebb and flow. But in the weeks that followed, the crack remained mostly silent, emitting only occasional lava or smoke cries, leaving park curator Cindy Orlando feeling "optimistic," Jay Jones reports. Los Angeles Times.

The park will reopen access to 14 roads and trails, as well as to a few other tourist arteries such as the Kīlauea Visitor Center and the Park Bookstore. However, several other roads and buildings will remain closed due to possible earthquake damage and are awaiting further assessment, reports Brestovansky. Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

Since the reopening of the park coincides with National Public Land Day, when admission to public lands in the United States is free, expect many crowds for the revival. Visitors are invited to wear sturdy shoes and long pants; some park officials even advised to pack goggles and masks for those who planned to go to the slopes, report Christina Maxouris and Saeed Ahmed of CNN. Even the best equipped hikers need to take extra precautions to avoid cracks, sinkholes and cliff edges (which is good advice for those who hang out in the parks). do not have volcanic activity recently experimented).

The explosive alteration of its terrain may make the coming beginnings of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park unfamiliar – but like the active volcanoes it hosts, the park itself is constantly evolving.

"We are delighted to … share the incredible changes that have taken place," Orlando said in the release.

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