Cone-Forming Explosive Eruptions of Basalt Magma: Etna, Kilauea, Stromboli

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

Kilauea has produced eruptions with high fountaining (>400m) activity in 1959, 1960, 1969(-1974) and 1983-1986(-2007) as well as other summit (1971, 1974, 1982) and flank eruptions characterized by low fountaining activity. This study considers the eruption dynamics and products of the best-documented examples of these eruptive episodes. The immediate goal is to develop integrated models for the full range of styles and intensities of Hawaiian explosive volcanism, making it possible to compare activity there with other well documented Strombolian and basaltic subplinian eruptions and to create a new self-consistent classification for their pyroclastic products. The work will be divided into six sub-projects as follows: re-analysis of movie/video footage, new isopach and stratigraphic studies, grain size/componentry, microtextures, pre-eruptive volatile analysis, magma rheology and modeling. Intellectual merit: This work will expand understanding of how basaltic systems erupt in Hawaiian (and Strombolian fashion) and enhance classifications of these types of explosive events by using the best documented recent examples from the volcano. His work is expected to improve classification of less well-documented basaltic eruptions, where eruptive style and intensity must be inferred from the pyroclastic deposits. This work will ultimately aid in forecasting future explosive eruptions at Kilauea and other analogous basaltic systems. Broader Impacts: An understanding of the factors promoting diversity of basaltic explosive eruptions is of fundamental importance in order to improve prediction of the behaviors of these volcanoes and to assess hazards of future explosive events at basaltic volcanoes. Kilauea is the site of a large and growing volcano-tourism operations and there is a public need both for better knowledge of the volcano's behavior and improved forecasting of the likely course of future eruptions. Results will be widely disseminated via the Internet using linked web sites hosted by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and University of Hawaii. Additionally, the project will bring together one graduate and several undergraduate students into research contact with a team of established researchers comprising 4 sub-disciplines in volcanology.