Hawaii County Civil Defense officials released a bulletin Sunday morning declaring that lava flow from the Kilauea volcano of Hawaii’s Puna district resumed activity, advancing approximately 25 yards since Saturday. The bulletin also noted that upslope flow from the leading edge of the north flank is also active, having advanced approximately 30 yards in that span as well.

According to the LA Times, the 100-yard-wide, nine-mile-long flow began on June 27, traveling through an uninhabited rain forest and the edges of the Ka’ohe Homesteads subdivision last week before slowing down and stalling just above the village of Pahoa, with a population of 945 citizens. “If it stays on its current path, the lava would go through downtown Pahoa and cross Highway 130 – the only road linking the 9,000 residents of lower Puna with the rest of the island.”

The recent bulletin states that while smoke conditions are light to moderate with a light rain throughout the area, there is no current cause for alarm. “No evacuation is needed at this time and area residents will be given adequate notice to safely evacuate should that be necessary,” said County officials.

West Hawaii Today recently gave a brief explanation of the two main factors that can limit the length of a lava flow: the overall supply of lava and the amount that the lava is thermally insulated during transport to the flow front.

This gives insight into why the June 27 lava flow began slowing down considerably as it approached Pahoa, when the summit of Kilauea began to deflate on Sept. 18. “Such deflations have caused decreases in eruptive output at Puu Oo in the past, and that could be the case with the current flow as well,” reported West Hawaii Today. “Another possibility for the stalled flow front is that the tube system feeding the June 27 lava flow could be approaching its limits in terms of efficiently insulating the lava moving through it.”

According to County officials, Hawaiian Electric Company crews will be digging holes for the installation of power poles in the Government Beach road area, in an effort to establish an emergency road should Highway 130 be affected by the lava flow. “We would like to thank everyone for your patience and understanding and your cooperation and assistance is greatly appreciated.”