The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano

C A Neal; S R Brantley; L Antolik; J L Babb; M Burgess; K Calles; M Cappos; J C Chang; S Conway; L Desmither; P Dotray; T Elias; P Fukunaga; S Fuke; I A Johanson; K Kamibayashi; J Kauahikaua; R L Lee; S Pekalib; A Miklius; W Million; C J Moniz; P A Nadeau; P Okubo; C Parcheta; M R Patrick; B Shiro; D A Swanson; W Tollett; F Trusdell; E F Younger; M H Zoeller; E K Montgomery-Brown; K R Anderson; M P Poland; J L Ball; J Bard; M Coombs; H R Dietterich; C Kern; W A Thelen; P F Cervelli; T Orr; B F Houghton; C Gansecki; R Hazlett; P Lundgren; A K Diefenbach; A H Lerner; G Waite; P Kelly; L Clor; C Werner; K Mulliken; G Fisher; D Damby

doi:10.1126/science.aav7046

The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano

Science. 2019 Jan 25;363(6425):367-374. doi: 10.1126/science.aav7046. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Authors

C A Neal¹, S R Brantley², L Antolik², J L Babb², M Burgess², K Calles², M Cappos², J C Chang², S Conway², L Desmither², P Dotray², T Elias², P Fukunaga², S Fuke², I A Johanson², K Kamibayashi², J Kauahikaua², R L Lee², S Pekalib², A Miklius², W Million², C J Moniz², P A Nadeau², P Okubo², C Parcheta², M R Patrick², B Shiro², D A Swanson², W Tollett², F Trusdell², E F Younger², M H Zoeller³, E K Montgomery-Brown⁴, K R Anderson⁵, M P Poland⁶, J L Ball⁵, J Bard⁷, M Coombs⁸, H R Dietterich⁸, C Kern⁷, W A Thelen⁷, P F Cervelli⁸, T Orr⁸, B F Houghton⁹, C Gansecki¹⁰, R Hazlett¹⁰, P Lundgren¹¹, A K Diefenbach⁷, A H Lerner¹², G Waite¹³, P Kelly⁷, L Clor⁷, C Werner¹⁴, K Mulliken¹⁵, G Fisher¹⁶, D Damby⁵

Affiliations

¹ U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, 51 Crater Rim Dr., Hawai'i National Park, Hawaii, HI 96718, USA. [email protected] [email protected].
² U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, 51 Crater Rim Dr., Hawai'i National Park, Hawaii, HI 96718, USA.
³ Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 W. Kāwili St., Hilo, HI 96720, USA.
⁴ U.S. Geological Survey, California Volcano Observatory, 345 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. [email protected] [email protected].
⁵ U.S. Geological Survey, California Volcano Observatory, 345 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
⁶ U.S. Geological Survey, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, 1300 SE Cardinal Ct., Suite 100, Vancouver, WA 98683-9589, USA.
⁷ U.S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1300 SE Cardinal Ct., Suite 100, Vancouver, WA 98683-9589, USA.
⁸ U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Volcano Observatory, 4230 University Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508, USA.
⁹ Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 1680 East-West Rd., Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
¹⁰ Geology Department, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 W. Kāwili St., Hilo, HI 96720, USA.
¹¹ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.
¹² Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, 100 Cascades Hall, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
¹³ Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 630 Dow Environmental Sciences, 1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI 49931, USA.
¹⁴ U.S. Geological Survey Contractor, 392 Tukapa St., RD1, New Plymouth 4371, New Zealand.
¹⁵ State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Alaska Volcano Observatory, 3354 College Rd., Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA.
¹⁶ U.S. Geological Survey, National Civil Applications Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr., MS-562, Reston, VA 20192, USA.

PMID: 30538164
DOI: 10.1126/science.aav7046

Abstract

In 2018, Kīlauea Volcano experienced its largest lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption and caldera collapse in at least 200 years. After collapse of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent on 30 April, magma propagated downrift. Eruptive fissures opened in the LERZ on 3 May, eventually extending ~6.8 kilometers. A 4 May earthquake [moment magnitude (M _w) 6.9] produced ~5 meters of fault slip. Lava erupted at rates exceeding 100 cubic meters per second, eventually covering 35.5 square kilometers. The summit magma system partially drained, producing minor explosions and near-daily collapses releasing energy equivalent to M _w 4.7 to 5.4 earthquakes. Activity declined rapidly on 4 August. Summit collapse and lava flow volume estimates are roughly equivalent-about 0.8 cubic kilometers. Careful historical observation and monitoring of Kīlauea enabled successful forecasting of hazardous events.