Hawaii's Kilauea volcano could see explosive eruptions: U.S. agency

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

ENVIRONMENT MAY 9, 2018 / 2:44 PM / UPDATED 27 MINUTES AGO

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano could see explosive eruptions: U.S. agency

Reuters Staff
1 MIN READ

(Reuters) - There is a growing chance of explosive eruptions of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano in coming weeks that could shoot rocks for miles and cause ashfall for dozens of miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Wednesday.

Kilauea, Hawaii’s most active volcano, erupted on Thursday and lava flows from fissures have destroyed at least 36 structures and caused the evacuation of about 2,000 residents.

Explosive eruptions could occur if the lava lake in Kilauea’s crater continues to fall to the level of groundwater, causing an influx of water to create steam-driven explosions, the USGS said in a statement.

Reporting By Andrew Hay; Editing by Bill Trott

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hawaii-volcano-eruptions/hawaiis-kilauea-volcano-could-see-explosive-eruptions-u-s-agency-idUSKBN1IA31I

[wasupaloopa]

1. I was at Kilauea a few years ago. There is always steam coming from the crater

and along the path that you use to walk around the crater. The thing that amazed me is the way the lava falls into the sea. There is a perfect perpendicular edge where the lava flow drops into the water. After it cools You can stand on the edge and look straight down into the sea.

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[Amishman]

2. The worst case scenario is the Hilina Slump letting go

All this activity is on the vulnerable south side of the island. Large magma movement, active deformation, and large earthquakes raise the risk.

The south eastern edge of the big island has been slowly slumping into the ocean at a rate of about 10 cm per year. This would mean a massive earthquake and tsunami. Hawaii has been the site of this type of activity several time in the past hundred thousand years.

[roamer65]

3. Tsunami for the West Coast?

Kilauea is on the east side of the big island, right?

[Amishman]

5. Depends on how much goes, but the event 100k years ago put a 40 meter wave ashore in Australia

It would be indescribably bad for the entire Pacific.

100 to 1000 cubic miles of rock abruptly sliding into the sea would cause a wave well beyond anything seen in human history.

Very unlikely overall, but possible as Hawaii has done this several times before in geologic history, and the Hilina Slump is already unstable as it has been moving 10 cm per year. In 1975 it slid 11 feet and triggered a 47 foot tsunami

[Blue_true]

7. Wow. nt

[pansypoo53219]

6. PBS had a doc about the what ifs & past tsunami's & how it affected the west coast.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

4. Are there any pictures from the ISS?

ASTER has infrared images, but I was wondering if there were any photos using telephoto lenses and the normal spectrum?