Lower Puna Eruption
2018 Hawaiian eruption of Mount Kilauea
Geography and Background
Early 2018, Mount Kilauea was erupting in two separate places, and although that is geologically uncommon, it had been happening for almost a decade. The first eruption was happening at the summit Halem’uma’u crater, while the second eruption was down the east rift at Pu’u’o’o. In mid-march, USGS scientists noticed a significant increase in the pressure of the magma system below Pu’u’o’o As the pressure below Pu’u’o’o rose, the summit of Kilauea started to show similar signs of inflation. The lava lake beneath Halemaʻumaʻu soon began to rise as well.
History
Mt. Kilauea first formed underwater an estimated 280,000 years ago as a typical shield volcano, characterized by its shallow, broad slopes. The above ground portion of Mt. Kilauea makes up the island of O’ahu. Despite having formed so long ago, historical records of Mt. Kilaueas explosions began in 1790, and have continued ever since, as the volcano is still active.
Eruption
On April 30th, 2018, the summit of Pu’u’o’o collapsed; USGS scientists have since determined this event to be the end of the 35 year eruption period which first began in 1983. 48 hours after Pu’u’o’o collapsed, the lava lake at the Kilauea summit started to drop significantly. Because of this, magma started to drain away from the summit of the volcano, then moved underground to the middle and Lower East Rift Zone, signified by a series of earthquakes.
The New York Times, director. Scenes from the Volcanic Eruption in Hawaii: Lava, Ash and Toxic Fumes. YouTube, YouTube, 25 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FEvv8hgkO4. Accessed 29 Sept. 2022.
Hawaii is on an active hotspot in the pacific plate. Kilauea is a shield volcano which erupts in fissure eruptions as explained in the figure above.
Global and Social Impacts
- Worst air quality neighboring communities have had since 1886
- Immediate increase in sulfur dioxide, sulfate, and ash concentrations in the air
- Job dispancement because so much of the communities were destroyed nearby
- Homeless population increased drastically due to damaged caused by lava flows
- Destroyed nearly 700 homes
- Destruction to fertile farming land
- Decrease in tourism which fuels Hawaii's economy
Bibliography
“2018 Eruption and Summit Collapse.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, June 2021, https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/nature/2018-eruption.htm.
Crane-Murdoch, Sierra. “Fleeing the Lava from Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano.” The New Yorker, 8 May 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/fleeing-the-lava-from-hawaiis-kilauea-volcano.
“Differential Stress.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 July 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_stress.
“Fissure Volcanoes (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, June 2022, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/fissure-volcanoes.htm.
“Geology and History.” Geology and History | U.S. Geological Survey, 2020, https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/geology-and-history.
Grabowski, Marcie. “Cascading Events Led to 2018 Kīlauea Volcanic Eruption, Providing Forecast Clues.” SOEST, 23 Nov. 2020, https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/soestwp/announce/news/cascading-events-led-to-2018-kilauea-volcanic-eruption-providing-clues-for-forecasting/.
Handley, Heather. “From Kilauea to Fuego: Three Things You Should Know about Volcano Risk.” Down To Earth, June 2018, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/natural-disasters/from-kilauea-to-fuego-three-things-you-should-know-about-volcano-risk-60936.
“Kilauea.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., May 2020, https://www.britannica.com/place/Kilauea.
Magazine, Smithsonian. “What We're Still Learning about Hawaii.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Dec. 2011, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/what-were-still-learning-about-hawaii-74730/.
