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Report on Kilauea (United States) — 26 December-1 January 2008


Kilauea

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 26 December-1 January 2008
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2007. Report on Kilauea (United States) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 26 December-1 January 2008. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (26 December-1 January 2008)

Kilauea

United States

19.421°N, 155.287°W; summit elev. 1222 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


Based on overflights and web camera views when weather permitted, HVO reported that during 25 December -1 January activity from fissure segment D from Kilauea's 21 July fissure eruption was concentrated at the Thanksgiving Eve Breakout (TEB) shield and two satellitic shields to the SE. Short lava flows were noted to the SE and N. During 25-26 December, bursts of high-frequency tremor were noted every 70-90 minutes and interpreted as episodic spattering events near fissure D. Incandescence was visible from one of the lava seeps E of the perched lava channel on 1 January. Tremor remained low below Pu'u 'O'o crater. A few small earthquakes were located beneath the summit and along the S-flank fault, SW rift zone, and E rift zone.

Geological Summary. Kilauea overlaps the E flank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano in the island of Hawaii. Eruptions are prominent in Polynesian legends; written documentation since 1820 records frequent summit and flank lava flow eruptions interspersed with periods of long-term lava lake activity at Halemaumau crater in the summit caldera until 1924. The 3 x 5 km caldera was formed in several stages about 1,500 years ago and during the 18th century; eruptions have also originated from the lengthy East and Southwest rift zones, which extend to the ocean in both directions. About 90% of the surface of the basaltic shield volcano is formed of lava flows less than about 1,100 years old; 70% of the surface is younger than 600 years. The long-term eruption from the East rift zone between 1983 and 2018 produced lava flows covering more than 100 km2, destroyed hundreds of houses, and added new coastline.

Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)