US Coast Guard announced that is establishing a temporary safety zone for the navigable waters surrounding the Kilauea Volcano active lava flow entry, into the Pacific Ocean on the southeast side of the Big Island, Hawaii, on Tuesday, 28 March.
USCG informs that the temporary safety zone will encompass all waters extending 300 meters (984 feet) in all directions around the entry of the lava flow into the ocean, from noon March 28 to 8 a.m. September 28. Experts from the U.S. Geological Survey recommend 300 meters as the minimum safe distance to avoid hazards from the lava flow.
Entry of vessels or people into the safety zone is prohibited, unless specifically authorized by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port Honolulu or his designated representative.
The Coast Guard has taken action to ensure public safety because of the danger the unstable sea cliff, volcanic shrapnel, toxic gases and potential bench collapses pose to vessel traffic and the public. As long as lava enters the ocean, further sea cliff degradation, hazardous conditions, delta construction and collapse are likely to occur. These collapses occur with little to no warning and cannot be predicted.
According to the HVO, large and dense fragments ejected during delta collapses can be thrown in all directions from the point of collapse, including out to sea. Based on a review of nearly 30 years of delta collapse and ejecta distance observations in HVO records, a radius of 300 meters was determined as a reasonable minimum high hazard zone around a point of ocean entry.
Source & Image credit: USCG news