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Report on Kilauea (United States) — July 1990


Kilauea

Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 15, no. 7 (July 1990)
Managing Editor: Lindsay McClelland.

Kilauea (United States) Lava flow destroys two homes, re-enters ocean

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1990. Report on Kilauea (United States) (McClelland, L., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 15:7. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199007-332010



Kilauea

United States

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

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


Vigorous . . . lava production continued through July. During the first week of the month, a lava flow from the "Woodchip area" on the E side of the flow field began to threaten homes in Kalapana, moving from the 100 m (300 ft) elevation to Hwy 130, a distance of ~1.5 km, in 3 days. On 6 July, this flow was threatening homes in upper Kalapana Gardens, but bypassed them, covering a road intersection at 0300 the following morning. By 9 July the flow had crossed Hwy 130 and was wrapping around the N side of earlier Kalapana Gardens flows (figure 70). The "Woodchip" tube sustained numerous breakouts during the first half of July, from the 400 m (1,300 ft) elevation down to the coastal flats, with active breakouts behind the front at elevations of 250, 180, and 140 m (800, 600, and 450 ft).

Figure (see Caption) Figure 70. Kīlauea's recent flows (outlined by a heavy line) in the Kalapana area, 2 August 1990. Contour interval is 20 feet, about 7 meters. Base map is the USGS Kalapana 7.5-minute topographic sheet (1981).

During the week of 10-16 July, the "Woodchip" flow began to advance onto the 1977 aa flow, which had been an effective barrier to eastward advance of Kupaianaha lavas above 40 m (130 ft) elevation. Lava moved E, just below Highway 130, covering most of the aa flow, and by 16 July had reached the E edge of the Kalapana flow field, threatening homes by Hwy 130. The active front extended > 500 m from this area to Harry K. Brown Park.

By mid-July, upslope breakouts on the "Woodchip" tube had decreased. On the main flow field, active flows were observed between 400 and 600 m (1,300 - 2,000 ft) elevation and there were some breakouts noted on the "Woodchip" tube by 360 m (1,200 ft) elevation. Early in the week of 17-23 July, the flow continued to wrap around the E margin of the flow field in Kalapana, overran two more homes near Hwy 130, and buried Harry K. Brown Park as well as an adjacent playground. On the morning of 21 July lava re-entered the ocean. As the new entry began to establish itself, eastward advance of the "Woodchip" flow slowed and activity localized around Hwy 137. By 23 July, flows were within a kilometer of Kaimu beach.

During the week of 24-30 July the ocean entry in Kalapana spread E toward Kaimu Bay. Lava entered Kaimu Bay on 29 July, moving along its W edge. By the 30th lava was entering the ocean at several points. Flows above this active ocean entry advanced E, coming within 400 m of homes and businesses near Kaimu.

The original Kalapana tube system . . . continued to feed breakouts in Kalapana during the week of 3-9 July. Most remained on top of earlier flows. On 14 July a breakout from the May tube system reached the N-facing fault scarp between highways 130 and 137, most of which had been buried by previous flows. The new flow easily crossed over the fault, which had acted as a barrier prior to burial, and continued S. This flow was still active at the end of July but had not yet crossed Hwy 137. During its advance the "Woodchip" flow buried two lobes that broke out of the May tube system. Activity upslope decreased the week of 24-30 July with no significant breakouts noted along the "Woodchip" or Kalapana tube systems; some breakouts from the May tube showed minor activity throughout the last week in July.

During a brief pause early in the week of 31 July-6 August, all surface activity slowed to a halt, with the exception of the ocean entries by Kaimu. By the 2nd, half of Kaimu beach was covered by lava. That day, the eruption resumed normal activity. Lava reoccupied the "Woodchip" tube system down to Kalapana. Initial breakouts from the tube were sticky pahoehoe. As the day progressed, breakouts became more fluid and began to move down the tube system, toward Kaimu. By 6 August numerous small breakouts were observed in Kalapana. Ocean entries were confined to the beach in front of the Harry K. Brown Park.

Kupaianaha vent remained covered with frozen lava in July, although the level of lava in the crater may have risen slightly since June. A vigorously degassing lava pond was active throughout the month in Pu`u `O`o crater. A portion of one crater wall collapsed into Pu`u `O`o on 4 August . . . .

Seismic activity . . . continued through July in the pattern established during the preceding months. The level of activity was low, with only minor fluctuations in the level of background volcanic tremor . . . . Microearthquakes in the East rift zone and at the summit continued at moderate rates, with substantial fluctuation of their average levels. Summit activity was punctuated on two occasions, apparently correlating with changes in ground tilt at the summit. From the evening of 15 July through the morning of 16 July, a rather abrupt change in measured tilt rate was observed, to ~1 µrad/day. From 0900 to 1000 on 16 July a sharp jump in summit microearthquakes was registered after a tilt increase of ~1 µrad. This activity quickly dropped back to a lower level. On 30 July a flurry of long-period earthquakes was registered beneath the summit, subsiding after 2200, after which both a large increase in tremor amplitude and a sharp drop in ground tilt were recorded. This series of instrumentally recorded events can be generally associated with the onset of the pause in eruptive activity registered during the last week of July [see also 15:8].

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.

Information Contacts: T. Moulds and P. Okubo, HVO.