Ballistic blocks around Kīlauea Caldera: Their vent locations and number of eruptions in the late 18th century
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research
By: Donald A. Swanson, Scott P. Zolkos, and Ben Haravitch
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Abstract
Thousands of ballistic blocks occur around Kīlauea Caldera and record part of the latest major period of explosive activity on the volcano, in late 1790 or within a few years thereafter. The sizes of the blocks – the largest of which is more than 2 m in nominal diameter – and differences in rock types allow the definition of at least 6 dispersal lobes of mostly undetermined relative age. The orientations of the lobes help approximate the locations of vents or explosion sources on the floor of the caldera, now deeply buried by younger lava flows. The vents may have been distributed northward for about 2 km from near the site of the modern Halema'uma'u Crater and were apparently confined to the western half of the caldera. The blocks are entirely lithic except for those in one dispersal lobe, which contains cored bombs and blocks as well as juvenile lapilli. Eruption parameters calculated from EJECT! suggest that the phreatic and phreatomagmatic explosions could have been generated at the water table, about 600 m below the high point on the caldera rim.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Ballistic blocks around Kīlauea Caldera: Their vent locations and number of eruptions in the late 18th century |
| Series title | Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2012.04.008 |
| Volume | 231-232 |
| Year Published | 2012 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Publisher location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Contributing office(s) | Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center |
| Description | 11 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research |
| First page | 1 |
| Last page | 11 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Hawai'i |
| Other Geospatial | Mt. Kilauea |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |