Kilauea’s spectacular pyrotechnics show no signs of stopping
From lavanadoes to laze and vog, the ongoing eruption is a refresher in volcanic vocabulary
By
Carolyn Gramling
10:46am, July 6, 2018
July 4th fireworks have nothing on Kilauea.
As the Hawaiian volcano’s latest outburst enters its third month, scientists are still watching Kilauea 24/7. Such constant monitoring not only provides danger warnings aimed at keeping those nearby safe, but it also offers remote viewers the rare opportunity to observe the evolution of an eruption in real time.
As magma within Kilauea’s summit crater, called Halemaumau, continues to drain and move toward the lower east rift zone, the crater floor is becoming increasingly unstable. The U.S. Geological Service has observed frequent rockfalls into the crater since mid-May; each collapse triggers a small explosion. One of the largest explosions happened June 30, when a collapse-explosion cycle released energy equivalent to a magnitude 5.3 earthquake.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/kilauea-volcano-pyrotechnics-lava-no-signs-stopping?tgt=nr
