Using a nearly 200-year record of lava chemistry from Kīlauea and Maunaloa, earth scientists from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and colleagues revealed that �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s two most active volcanoes share a source of magma within the Hawaiian plume. Their discovery was published in the .

“In the past, the distinct chemical compositions of lavas from Kīlauea and Maunaloa were thought to require completely separate magma pathways from the melt source in the mantle beneath each volcano to the surface where eruptions take place,” said Aaron Pietruszka, lead author of the study and associate professor in the in the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa (SOEST). “Our latest research shows that this is incorrect. Melt from a shared mantle source within the Hawaiian plume may be transported alternately to Kīlauea or Maunaloa on a timescale of decades.”

From the mid-20th century to around 2010, Mauanloa was less active, whereas Kīlauea was highly active. During this time, the chemistry of lava from Kīlauea became more similar to typical lava from Maunaloa.

“We think this was caused by a change in the transport of mantle-derived melt from a shared source within the Hawaiian plume from Maunaloa to Kīlauea,” Pietruszka added. “In other words, each volcano iteratively becomes more active when it receives melt from the shared source in the mantle and this process causes measurable changes in lava chemistry.”

Since 2010, the research team has observed a change in lava chemistry at Kīlauea. This change suggests that melt from the shared source is now being diverted from Kīlauea to Maunaloa for the first time since the mid-20th century.

Maunaloa—the largest active volcano on Earth—erupted in 2022 after its longest known inactive period (~38 years). This eruptive hiatus at Maunaloa encompasses most of the ~35-year-long Puʻuʻōʻō eruption of neighboring Kīlauea, which ended in 2018 with a collapse of the summit caldera, an unusually large rift eruption, and lava fountains up to 260 feet tall.

The authors of the study emphasize that a long-term pattern of such opposite eruptive behavior suggests that a magmatic connection exists between these volcanoes. Additionally, this magmatic connection between Kīlauea and Maunaloa results in a broad correlation between changes in their lava chemistry.

“For example, during the late 19th century when Maunaloa was more active and Kīlauea was less active, the chemistry of lava from Kīlauea became more ‘unique’ and particular to compositions that are only observed at Kīlauea,” said Pietruszka. “We think this was caused by the transport of mantle-derived melt from the shared source of magma to Maunaloa.”

Forecasting future eruptions

Long-term forecasting of volcanic activity currently relies upon extrapolation of a volcano’s past eruption record.

“Our study suggests that monitoring of lava chemistry is a potential tool that may be used to forecast the eruption rate and frequency of these adjacent volcanoes on a timescale of decades,” Pietruszka said. “A future increase in eruptive activity at Maunaloa is likely if the chemistry of lava continues to change at Kīlauea.”

The researchers will continue to monitor the changes in lava chemistry at Kīlauea to determine whether their predictions for future changes in eruptive behavior at these volcanoes is correct.

–By Marcie Grabowski

To better understand how and where groundwater is recharged on Hawaiʻi Island, a team of earth and atmospheric scientists from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa looked to the source—rainfall. In a published study, the team reported a time-series of rainfall data which highlights that extreme events, such as volcanic eruptions and hurricanes, can affect the chemistry of precipitation.

The researchers measured hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and the chemical composition of rainfall from central to leeward Hawaiʻi Island at 20 stations. Rain water isotopes help scientists identify the origin of groundwater and understand the recharge processes in a region.

Preparing for future water security

The results from this study can be used to better quantify and characterize precipitation—the ultimate source of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s groundwater.

“In order to better serve communities in Hawaiʻi, specifically in access to fresh water and ensuring better water management, we need to understand where the groundwater is recharging and how it flows in the different aquifer systems,” said Diamond Tachera, lead author of the study and graduate researcher at ����Vlog�ٷ� ��ā�ԴDz�’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). “This is critical to future water security.”

Serendipitous timing

Hawaiʻi Island is characterized by the interactions of Pacific trade wind flow with two 13,000-feet high mountains, as well as one of the largest natural emitters of sulfur dioxide on the planet—Kīlauea Volcano.

The study period included an extreme weather event, Hurricane Lane, a major volcanic eruption at Kīlauea in 2018 and the nearly-complete cessation of long-term volcanic emissions after that historic event.

“These events allowed us the rare opportunity to investigate the impact of volcanic emissions such as sulfate (also known as vog) and a hurricane on precipitation chemistry,” said Tachera.

Consistent with previous research, the study revealed long-term variability in rainfall chemistry due to changes in atmospheric and climate processes in this region. Additionally, the team found significantly more sulfate in the rain samples collected during the Kīlauea eruption and substantially less after the volcanic activity ceased.

This research is an example of ����Vlog�ٷ� ��ā�ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

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The 2018 Kīlauea eruption in Hawaiʻi provided scientists with an unprecedented opportunity to identify new factors that could help forecast the hazard potential of future eruptions.

A team of researchers, including University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor Bruce Houghton, identified an indicator of magma viscosity that can be measured before an eruption, providing critical information to help understand possible future eruptions. The findings are .

“The study is very unusual because it falls at the interface between two distinct disciplines in volcanology: seismology and studies of the viscosity (fluidity) of the molten rock,” said Houghton.

Viscous magma linked with powerful explosions

The properties of the magma inside a volcano affect how an eruption will play out. In particular, the viscosity of this molten rock is a major factor in influencing how hazardous an eruption could be for nearby communities.

Very viscous magmas are linked with more powerful explosions because they can block gas from escaping through vents, allowing pressure to build up inside the volcano’s plumbing system. On the other hand, extrusion of more viscous magma results in slower-moving lava flows.

“But magma viscosity is usually only quantified well after an eruption, not in advance,” explained Diana Roman, lead author of the study and volcanologist at . “So, we are always trying to identify early indications of magma viscosity that could help forecast a volcano’s eruption style.”

Kīlauea eruption provides wealth of data

The 2018 event included the first eruptive activity in Kīlauea’s lower East Rift Zone since 1960. The first of 24 fissures opened in early May, and the eruption continued for three months. This situation provided unprecedented access to information for the team of researchers.

The event provided a wealth of simultaneous data about the behavior of both high- and low-viscosity magma, as well as about the pre-eruption stresses in the solid rock underlying Kīlauea.

Tectonic and volcanic activity cause fractures, called faults, to form in the rock that makes up Earth’s crust. When geologic stresses cause these faults to move against each other, geoscientists measure the 3-D orientation and movement of the faults using seismic instruments.

By studying what happened in Kīlauea’s lower East Rift Zone in 2018, Roman and her colleagues determined that the direction of the fault movements in the lower East Rift Zone before and during the volcanic eruption could be used to estimate the viscosity of rising magma during periods of precursory unrest.

“We were able to show that with robust monitoring we can relate pressure and stress in a volcano’s plumbing system to the underground movement of more viscous magma,” Roman explained. “This will enable monitoring experts to better anticipate the eruption behavior of volcanoes like Kīlauea and to tailor response strategies in advance.”

This research is an example of ����Vlog�ٷ� ��ā�ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

–By Marcie Grabowski

The unprecedented cost of the 2018 Kiīlauea eruption in Hawaiʻi reflects the intersection of distinct physical and social phenomena: infrequent, highly destructive eruptions and atypically high population growth, according to a new study published in and led by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers.

It has long been recognized that areas in Puna, Hawaiʻi, are at high risk from lava flows. In fact, Puna lies within the three highest-risk lava hazard zones (1, 2 and 3). This ensured that land values were lower, which actively promoted rapid population growth.

• Read more about ����’s research on the 2018 Kiīlauea eruption.

“Low prices on beautiful land and a scarcity of recent eruptions led to unavoidable consequences—more people and more development,” said Bruce Houghton, the lead author of the study and Gordan Macdonald Professor of Volcanology in the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa (SOEST). “Ultimately this drastically increased the value of what was at risk in 2018, relative to earlier eruptions of Kīlauea.”

Kīlauea is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth and has one of the earliest, most comprehensive volcanic monitoring systems. Its recent history has been dominated by activity at the summit caldera and from one of two lines of vents called the Eastern Rift Zone. Between 1967 and 2018, volcanic activity was dominated by eruptions from the upper part of the Eastern Rift Zone. In contrast, no damaging eruptions occurred after 1961 in the more heavily populated Puna district from the vents within the lower portion of the Eastern Rift Zone.

Assessing trends

The ����Vlog�ٷ� team assessed trends in population growth in Pāhoa-Kalapana, Hilo and Puna using census data, and compared the median cost of land and household income in these areas.

Valuable lessons regarding the complex interplay of science, policy and public behavior emerged from the 2018 disaster.

“Steep population growth occurred during the absence of any locally sourced eruptions between 1961 and 2018, and set the scene for the unprecedented levels of infrastructural damage during the 2018 Lower Eastern Rift Zone eruption,” said Wendy Cockshell, co-author on the paper and technical assistant at the (NDPTC) at ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa.

If population growth resumes in lava hazard zones 1 and 2, there will be increased risk in the most dangerous areas on this exceptionally active volcano translating into high cost of damage in future eruptions.

“Our funded research supports the principle of the initiatives by local and federal government to provide buy-out funding to landowners affected by the 2018 eruption to enable them to relocate outside of these hazardous areas,” said Houghton.

The study was funded with support from the National Science Foundation and the NDPTC.

This effort is an example of ����Vlog�ٷ� ��ā�ԴDz�’s goal of Excellence in (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

–By Marcie Grabowski

Since the 2018 Kīlauea volcano eruption, the at the has partnered with Hawaiʻi Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists to do “old school” leveling, a valuable measuring method to track changes in the Koaʻe fault system. ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo has capable and enthusiastic geology students, and through the years, many have volunteered to measure the cracks and faults.

Students have played important roles in collecting and analyzing the data through conducting leveling research. Thus far, two groups of students have traveled to scientific conferences to present their findings.

“We are proud of the contributions these new researchers have made to the Island of Hawaiʻi community and the wider world of science,” said ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo geology Professor Steve Lundblad, who penned a .

Koaʻe fault system

The Koaʻe fault system connects Kīlauea’s East and Southwest Rift Zones south of the caldera. Faults here appear as low cliffs or “scarps” along Hilina Pali Road in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. These fault-cliffs slip during major earthquakes, as happened on May 4, 2018, near the beginning of Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption.

U.S. Geological Survey scientists first began leveling along the Koaʻe faults in the 1960s, providing a long-standing record of data and field stations. Around each leveling station is an array of subsidiary “crack stations,” allowing measurement across individual Koaʻe faults and their related ground cracks.

When the Koaʻe faults move, they either slide vertically or open to create a deep crack. A dramatic example of opening was the Hilina Pali Road 2018 faulting near Kulanaokuaiki campground, which split the road. The prominent slope the road ascends is a result of repeated fault movement over several hundred years. Shortly after the end of the 2018 eruption, leveling revealed that the rates of change along the Koaʻe faults quickly returned to the much slower normal pace.

“We’ve learned several important things about the behavior of the fault system from the on-going Koaʻe leveling campaign,” wrote Lundblad. “Most of the relief along these cliffs is created by large events. The faults are also very efficient ‘earth movers.’ Very few new cracks formed as a result of the large geologic events of 2018.”

A team of scientists led by the geology department had its most recent research on the 2018 Kīlauea eruption featured in the December 6 issue of Science.

Cheryl Gansecki, ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo geology affiliate faculty, is lead author on “,” which examines changes in lava chemistry that reflect its magma history and can affect eruptive behavior, but are normally not studied until after an eruption is over. Co-authors include Steven Lundblad and Ken Hon (����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo), R. Lopaka Lee and Carolyn Parcheta (USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory) and Thomas Shea (����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�).

“We used rapid energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis to measure diagnostic elements in lava samples within a few hours of collection during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption,” explained Gansecki. “The geochemical data can give us lava temperature, which affects viscosity and therefore how fast lava can flow. We were able to notify the monitoring teams of changing lava temperatures in advance of changing hazards during the eruption.

“We also identified, in near-real time, interactions between older, colder, stored magma leftover from previous east rift zone eruptions and hotter magma delivered during dike emplacement,” she added.

Their study suggests that at least two bodies of stored magma were forced to the surface, including the first known eruption of andesite (a volcanic rock) on Kīlauea, and that magma from these bodies mixed with the newer intruding magma. By analyzing the composition of crystals carried in the magma, they were also able to identify the presence of a much hotter component that had to come from deep in the summit magma or rift system.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo team provides USGS critical, daily chemical analysis of lava flow, June 11, 2018

“We can’t see what goes on inside a volcano, so geochemistry is one of the tools used to decipher it,” Gansecki explained. “Our team has been working for years on ways to get this information available in near-real time so it was very exciting to have it used successfully during a volcanic crisis.”

In May 2019, Gansecki and Lundblad were awarded the 2019 Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi Award for Excellence and Innovation at ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo for their work developing and implementing the rapid-analysis protocol.

Two other 2018 Kīlauea eruption articles in the December 6 issue include “Cyclic effusion during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano,“ by lead author USGS–HVO geologist Matt Patrick and colleagues, and “Magma Reservoir Failure and the Onset of Caldera Collapse at Kīlauea Volcano in 2018,” by lead author Kyle Anderson and colleagues.

����Vlog�ٷ� News video: ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo team provides USGS critical, daily chemical analysis of lava flow

A survey of farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers on Hawaiʻi Island by the (CTAHR) shows that recent eruptions of Kīlauea’s east rift zone have caused almost $28 million in damage.

CTAHR agricultural economist Matthew Loke surveyed the damage. He found while the damage was severe, farmers are determined to bring back their crops.

“A majority of ag producers with farms destroyed are eager to start over again,” said Loke. “They are seeking needed resources to restore their livelihood and return to their passion for farming.”

Loke, a CTAHR faculty member in the and the Agricultural Development Division, conducted the survey to gauge losses sustained from the eruptions at the request of the (HFNA) and CTAHR Interim Associate Dean for Extension Kelvin Sewake.

Responses to the survey, which was distributed by ����Vlog�ٷ� ��ā�ԴDz�’s CTAHR extension and HFNA members agents in early August, showed that at least 46 farms had been affected by the lava. The eruption displaced more than 1,337 acres of arable land on Hawaiʻi Island, for total reported farm losses of $27.9 million. These losses included crops (61 percent), land, building structures, inventory and equipment. Respondents included cacao and ʻulu farmers, macadamia and orchid growers and other producers. The agricultural industries with the highest reported losses were floriculture and nurseries, at $13.3 million, and papayas at $6.5 million. A minority of the producers had crop insurance.

Of the respondents, 52 percent reported owning their farm lands, while the remainder leased or rented. Most survey respondents did not live on their farm lands, so loss of livelihood was not necessarily coupled with loss of living situation. Most do not plan to replant or put the affected acreage to other use, though a large majority (87 percent) of the producers whose farms were destroyed are willing to relocate and start over on new land.

While the majority of the producers had access to housing, food, water, clothing and toiletries after the disaster, 63 percent said they were in need of information about applying for public assistance, including disaster unemployment assistance, financial assistance and health insurance. The survey results will be used by HFNA to seek federal, state and county government assistance for the affected farmers and to help them return to farming as soon as possible.

“Hawaiʻi agriculture has had a rough year, with torrential rains, volcanic eruptions and hurricanes,” said CTAHR Dean Nicholas Comerford. “The college is working hand-in-hand with the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and the agricultural industry to provide any and all support that we can through our program, including growing seed to help re-establish the industries that were hurt.”

—By Frederkia Bain

Shortly after the lava began flowing in lower Puna in May, Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense contacted Geography and Environmental Science Associate Professor Ryan Perroy. Civil Defense enlisted the help of his group, which uses drones to do high-resolution mapping of different land forms.

At that time, Civil Defense was worried about pinpointing the exact locations of the advancing lava. “We can get that sort of overview, overhead shot, and relay that information very quickly to the incident commanders and fire responders,” Perroy said.

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo technician Rose Hart and aeronautical sciences lecturer Roberto Rodriguez are part of Perroyʻs remote sensing geomorphology team, operating the drones and crunching data.

“The student participation I think has been—I imagine—invaluable for them,” said Perroy. “They are really seeing how this technology can be used to help.”

During the eruption, members of the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo team were doing whatever they could to provide data to civil defense, to aid in a range of ways, such as helping residents to recoup losses. The same data is also expected to help the team with its scientific endeavors.

Perroy said, “The longer-term scientific value of the data that we’re collecting [is] that we can better understand these types of eruptions and maybe do a better job of predicting in the future.”

Learn more about ����Vlog�ٷ� �ᾱ����’s at their website.

—By Kelli Trifonovitch

University of professors, scientists and students have been hard at work collecting data at the current Kīlauea eruption on Hawaiʻi Island.

Now that the lava is entering the ocean at Kapoho Bay, a team of researchers from ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, are using autonomous ocean robots, an unmanned technology, to capture live ocean data close to the entry area. With technology called , scientists have the rare opportunity to study the effects of the lava entering the ocean, the plume it creates, and the interactions of the lava and seawater directly from the surface of the ocean. Scientists note that very few volcanic eruptions and lava flows have ever been monitored in real time from the ocean.

The data collected also will help scientists observe in real time the impact of volcanic eruptions and lava flows on marine life (coral reefs and fish populations) and air quality affecting the Hawaiian islands.

“The plume of hot, sediment-laden water generated by the lava flowing into the ocean spreads out, impacting surrounding ecosystems and permitted boaters operating in the area,” says ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo geologist Steve Colbert. “We don’t know how far and how deep that plume extends, or how it changes with oceanographic conditions or changes in the flow of lava. The Wave Gliders provide us the opportunity to answer these important questions.”

• Read more ����Vlog�ٷ� News stories on the university’s work on the Kīlauea eruption.

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—From a .