December 9, 2022

photo: Cassie Carpenter

I continue to be infatuated with the eruption of Mauna Loa and now one of her sisters, Kilauea, has joined her. Mauna Loa is continuing to dance, and the lava flow is slowly advancing north toward Saddle Road. Saddle Road truncates the top half of the Big Island and allows people to take a short cut crossing the island, shaving off miles and time from any other route. Well, if you add another hour by having to drive along the Hamakua Coast, through the old sugar cane lands, it makes life very difficult for people who live on the east side of the island, but work in the tourist industry on the west side. Many already sleep in their cars during the work week and go home only on the weekends. The big fear right now is that if Saddle Road gets covered by lava, it will be very difficult to get from one side of the Island to the other. It is tourism that keeps many on the island employed. Right now, they are saying travel, come to the Big Island and see the volcano. You can view the volcano from designated areas, but it's also quite exciting to view a volcano from the air and I'm sure air tourism is booming on the island right now. However, my recommendation is check the air quality and be warned that there will be crowds. If you're planning a trip to Hawaii for Christmas and want to relax, you may want to try another island which has either dormant or extinct volcanoes. That being said, we have some beautiful pictures that I hope you enjoy. Some were taken by friends on the island from their own back yard.

From: CBS News, By: Jonathan Vigliotti, Analisa Novak, November 30, 2022

Two of Hawaii's largest volcanoes are erupting simultaneously. Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, erupted for the first time in decades on Sunday night. Nearby, Kilauea is also erupting — both on the archipelago's Big Island. Dual eruptions haven't been seen since 1984.

photo: Cassie Carpenter

From: Star Advertiser, By: Staff, December 8, 2022

Editor’s Note: Bookmark this page! This story is developing and will be updated as soon as more information becomes available.

December 8, 2022: As of 3 p.m. today, the Mauna Loa lava flow front is 1.8 miles from the Daniel K. Inouye Highway. Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency reports lava breakouts from the channel on the northeast rift. Officials said in a statement that the breakouts are expected to slightly slow down the lava flow.

December 4, 2022 — Aerial Views of Mauna Loa Fissure 3 Erupting

Marco Garcia/AP

From: CNN, By: Aya Elamroussi and Holly Yan, December 6, 2022

(CNN) — The relentless eruption of the world’s largest active volcano has prompted Hawaii’s National Guard to step in as residents and tourists flock to see it.

Sources: US Geological Survey, County of Hawaii GIS, Hawaii Statewide GIS program, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, OpenStreetMap

For 10 days, Mauna Loa has been shooting jets of lava toward the sky and down the massive mountain. While officials say there’s still no immediate risk to communities on Hawaii’s Big Island, lava has now crept closer to Daniel K. Inouye highway (Saddle Road) – the main highway connecting the eastern and western halves of the Big Island.

MAUNA LOA, Hawaii (KHON2) — Mauna Loa has been rumbling for weeks now and Sunday night started erupting. There is no shortage of photos and footage coming out of Big Island showing the glow from the eruption. But where can you go if you want to see the eruption up close, while not on the Big Island?

An illustration of the difference in size between shield (Mauna Loa, Hawaii), composite (Mt. Rainier, Washington), and cinder cone (Capulin Volcano, New Mexico) volcanoes.

NPS illustration by Trista Thornberry-Ehrlich (Colorado State University).

Now that Mauna Loa has raised her fiery head, we thought she was going to start dancing and she surely did. I think that not only myself, but perhaps some of you would be interested in knowing a little more about what's going on in the chain of volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific. They're all volcanic and they were all formed in a similar fashion, by the eruption of several volcanoes through a "hot spot" under the sea that ended up making the one hundred and thirty-seven islands, seven of which are inhabited, that make up Hawaii.

Volcanoes are diverse! They range from the majestic Mount Rainier, to colossal shield volcanoes like Mauna Loa (Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park), and to volcanic fields that can cover hundreds of square miles such as at Craters of the Moon National Monument.

Maui's Haleakala volcano and the rest of the Hawaiian Islands formed out of molten lava as the Pacific plate drifted over the hotspot as three to four inches a year. Map Source: TASA Graphic Arts, Inc. © 2009

Haleakala originated as a vent on the seafloor about two million years ago. Eruptions of lava built up the volcano until it reached the sea surface less than a million years later; continued eruptions pushed it more than 10,000 feet above sea level and gave it almost 600 square miles of land. Haleakala eventually connected with another volcano to form the island of Maui. In fact, all the Hawaiian Islands are of volcanic origin.

Marilyn Nieves / Getty Images

Building a baking soda volcano in your kitchen is a fun science project that has the added "wow" factor of an explosion (without really having anything explode). It's great for a rainy day, a summer day, or any day you're trying to show your kids just how cool science can be.

All the Hawaiian volcanoes are Shield Volcanos. In the September 9, 2022 issue of the Flock, we looked at Mt. Saint Helens, which is a Composite Volcano and steeper and more prone to explosive eruptions. Just outside of Flagstaff is Sunset Crater, a Cinder Cone Volcano, steep but shorter than a Composite Vocano. Haleakalā on Maui rises to a height of just over 10,000 feet but characteristic of a shield volcano it's somewhat of a soft hill. I've started at the sea and run to the top a couple of times. When you get to the top yes, you're tired, but it isn't the steepest hill, it goes into the elevation gradually and the road is wide. The biggest challenge is not getting hit by a cyclist who's decided to put his bike on a bus and bike bomb down the slope. It's quite beautiful there's a lot of protea farms, macadamia nut farms, and orchid farms, all quite beautiful. She's been quiet for some at least five hundred years, people bike up there, people buy land up there, it's gorgeous and it's rolling hills, but she is not dead and will one day dance too.

Students learn about two major types of volcanoes and watch and discuss a video.

photo: Cassie Carpenter

I'm very interested in what's going on the Big Island and I'm also interested in the air quality. One big hazard is Vog, a volcanic fog that contains lots of sulfur. It can also contain lead and mercury which are particularly bad for the developing brains of children. In the communities around Kilauea, which has been erupting on and off since 1983, there's a high percentage of children with reading disabilities which can be a result of exposure to both lead and mercury. Unfortunately, it's harder to learn to read if you've lived in the shadow of an active volcano.

From: USGS

Vog poses a health hazard by aggravating preexisting respiratory ailments. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas can irritate skin and the tissues and mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat, and can penetrate airways, producing respiratory distress in some individuals. Aerosol particles in vog can also penetrate deep into human lungs and, at elevated levels, can induce symptoms of asthma.

happy_lark/Getty Images

From: Healthline, By: Kayla McDonnell, RD, November 30, 2020

Bone broth has become very popular recently, especially among health-conscious individuals. This is because it’s believed to have many health benefits. Although there’s limited research on bone broth itself, there’s plenty of evidence that suggests drinking it may be very beneficial.

From: Dr. Axe, By: Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN, September 26, 2022

For thousands of years, there have been traditional foods like fermented vegetables and cultured dairy that have been touted for their health benefits, but one common healing food that is now being recognized for its incredible health benefits is bone broth. It’s so trendy that it’s a staple of the Paleo diet, bone broth supplements are common, and even bone broth shops exist now.

From: What the Fork, By: Shay, November 3, 2019

This is an easy and simple recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie. Creamy filling, crisp pie crust, and warm spices make this pie perfect.

An ʻakēʻakē fledgling caught on a wildlife camera. Its nest is located on Mauna Loa.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

From: CBS News, By: Erin Pflaumer, December 7, 2022

About a month before Mauna Loa began erupting, an endangered seabird fledgling was seen on camera emerging from a burrow on the volcano, officials said Tuesday. It's the first confirmed 'akē'akē, also known as the band-rumped storm petrel, nest found in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, according to the National Park Service. 

What a shock it was for those of us who participated in the Ironman to see that it would be split into two different races held in two different locations. I for one am not sure I like the Men’s and Women’s races being separated or being held on different courses.

From: Trizone, By: Shawn Smith, December 4, 2022

Ironman has announced that the 2023 VinFast Ironman World Championship triathlon will be held in two different locations. To provide both professional and amateur women and men with dedicated days of racing, the women will race in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on October 14, 2023. The location and date for the men's race will be announced in January 2023. In 2024, the locations of the men's and women's races will be exchanged.

This is Pam who actually birthed the Holualoa Marathon here in Tucson. The Holualoa Marathon, a Boston Marathon qualifier, has been held annually since 1995 and will be run on Saturday, December 10th this year and if you're real fast you can still register today, December 9th.

From: Ultrarunning History Podcast, November 14, 2022

Pam Reed, age 61 in 2022, from Jackson Wyoming, and Scottsdale, Arizona, is a 2022 inductee in the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame, its 21st member. Over the years she has been a prolific, successful runner, especially in desert races in the western United States.

From: Tucsontopia

Looking for a place to see the the merry twinkle of lights in Tucson? Tucsontopia's curated a list of the best places around town to see holiday light displays in 2022. Featured listings include neighborhoods with outstanding Christmas decor, light-up events at local attractions, and evening parades.

As you know, last month we did a deep dive into Indian culture and many of the religions of India. We haven't tapped into Christianity and Islam in India yet. They represent a smaller percentage of the population than Hinduism, but a larger population than Buddhism, Jainism, or Sikhism and we do not want to leave them out. We plan to revisit them in the new year and also plan to revisit Indian fashion as well with our dear friends Dr. Gulshan and Neelam Sethi. She's promised to let us take a deep dive into her treasure chest of vintage saris and as for Gulshan, I'm not sure if his neru jackets are vintage, but he looks awfully good in them and hopefully he'll sport a few and we'll get to show you them in a mid-January issue of the Flock.

So many flockers have asked me if its ok to share this newsletter with a friend and of course it is. You can share the Flock with friends by simply forwarding this email to them. If they like it, all are invited to subscribe by following this link.

-- Owls and Hedgehogs Preside, Still Life & Photo by Cita Scott

Beauty Brings Peace.

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