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Report on Kilauea (United States) — November 1992


Kilauea

Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 17, no. 11 (November 1992)
Managing Editor: Lindsay McClelland.

Kilauea (United States) Lava flows extend 350 m into the ocean

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1992. Report on Kilauea (United States) (McClelland, L., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 17:11. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199211-332010



Kilauea

United States

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

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


The eruption . . . continued through November. Most of the surface activity was near the coast below the E end of the Holei Pali, one of a series of prominent seaward-facing scarps on Kīlauea's S flank. Lava flows were fed from E-51 vents on the W flank of Pu`u `O`o (figure 86). On 12 November, the lava-production rate was ~100,000 m3/day. Lava reached the sea on 8 November, entering the bay at Kamoamoa from several points along the new delta. Lava filled the bay and extended nearly 350 m into the ocean by late November. Violent littoral explosions were observed on 24 November at the Kamoamoa ocean entry. Explosive episodes lasting 20-45 minutes occurred at intervals of 15-90 minutes, sending tephra to nearly 90 m height during the most active periods. The last explosive activity (2015-2100) built a 7.5-m littoral cone in 10 minutes. Behind the active ocean-entry points, flows continued to cover new land, including the Kamoamoa campground, picnic area, and most of the remnants of Hawaiian archaeological sites in the area. Some small channelized aa flows were noted on Holei Pali. The Pu`u `O`o lava lake was rarely visible due to poor weather conditions, but appeared to be deep within the crater.

Eruption tremor remained at ~2x background level, with minor amplitude fluctuations in mid-November. Shallow, long-period microearthquake counts (LPC) were high on 12 November with 236 LPC-B (1-3 Hz) events, and on 19 November with 133 LPC-A (3-5 Hz) events. Swarms of LPC-C (5-13 km depth, 1-5 Hz) events were recorded at 1300 on 21 November (28 events) and between 0830 and 1300 on 22 November (39 events).

A helicopter carrying two movie cameramen crash-landed in Pu`u `O`o crater on 22 November. The pilot was rescued several hours later at the crash site, which the cameramen had left in an attempt to climb out of the crater. One man managed to climb out the next day, but the other spent 27 hours ~20 m below the rim before being rescued. He suffered from chemical pneumonia, inflammation of the lungs caused by sulfur dioxide, exposure, and dehydration. Rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather.

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. Mattox and P. Okubo, HVO; AP.