Deep Magma Body Beneath the Summit and Rift Zones of Kilauea Volcano
Deep Magma Body Beneath the Summit and Rift Zones of Kilauea Volcano
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. The frequent and gentle eruptions provide a perfect place for volcanic studies. It is believed all the activity is due to magma from a hot spot nearby. The magma fills up in a reservoir two kilometers below the surface until a certain point at which it either explodes out the top, or it moves laterally forming dikes. These dikes, filled with solidified lava, shift leading to mountain deformation. There was almost a half-meter of displacement from the 1983 dike injection.
The greatest earthquake recorded in Hawaiian history occurred on November 29, 1975. The displacement, which was between three and eight meters, caused a tsunami that killed two people. The tsunami was caused by the contact of the volcanic pile and the underlying oceanic sedimentary rocks. From 1956-1975 the deflations were much greater than the inflations of Kilauea’s tilt. During the Pu’u ‘O’o eruptions, the summit reached it’s lowest point of the 20th century.
The deflationary and inflationary volcanic movement is measured by lines along the Koae fault, which stretches between the nearby Mauna Loa volcano and Kilauea. The data shows that inflation of the base distances was due to explosions, but also caused deflation in the summit. This proves there is no correlation between the type of eruptive activity and the inflation and deflation of the volcanic displacement. The data also shows inflation can occur between both the bases and summits. Because the two volcanoes are so close, movement from Kilauea can have direct effect on Mauna Loa’s seismic activity and vise versa.
The Kilauea rift zones have been subsiding since 1975. It has subsided eighty-five centimeters, but forty-one centimeters were from the dike intrusion in 1981. To determine the rift-zone subsidence, the water levels in the Malama Ki and Kapoho wells were measured. The subsidence was equivalent to the
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. The frequent and gentle eruptions provide a perfect place for volcanic studies. It is believed all the activity is due to magma from a hot spot nearby. The magma fills up in a reservoir two kilometers below the surface until a certain point at which it either explodes out the top, or it moves laterally forming dikes. These dikes, filled with solidified lava, shift leading to mountain deformation. There was almost a half-meter of displacement from the 1983 dike injection.
The greatest earthquake recorded in Hawaiian history occurred on November 29, 1975. The displacement, which was between three and eight meters, caused a tsunami that killed two people. The tsunami was caused by the contact of the volcanic pile and the underlying oceanic sedimentary rocks. From 1956-1975 the deflations were much greater than the inflations of Kilauea’s tilt. During the Pu’u ‘O’o eruptions, the summit reached it’s lowest point of the 20th century.
The deflationary and inflationary volcanic movement is measured by lines along the Koae fault, which stretches between the nearby Mauna Loa volcano and Kilauea. The data shows that inflation of the base distances was due to explosions, but also caused deflation in the summit. This proves there is no correlation between the type of eruptive activity and the inflation and deflation of the volcanic displacement. The data also shows inflation can occur between both the bases and summits. Because the two volcanoes are so close, movement from Kilauea can have direct effect on Mauna Loa’s seismic activity and vise versa.
The Kilauea rift zones have been subsiding since 1975. It has subsided eighty-five centimeters, but forty-one centimeters were from the dike intrusion in 1981. To determine the rift-zone subsidence, the water levels in the Malama Ki and Kapoho wells were measured. The subsidence was equivalent to the