Thread by @jessphoenix2018

Volcano talk! Kilauea is the world's most active volcano. It's been erupting since the early 1980s. Hawai'i volcanoes are shield volcanoes, meaning they don't look or erupt like their stratovolcano (cone-shaped) cousins. Here's a pic of Kilauea's summit eruption last April. 1/

The island of Hawai'i is made of 5 shield volcanoes. 4 can still erupt, but Kilauea is the only one doing that now. Shield volcanoes make fluid lavas, & hazards mainly come from vog (volcanic smog), gases (sulfur dioxide & others), and lava flows. Vid of lava entering ocean. 2/

Kilauea has two rift zones radiating away from its summit caldera (& Halema'uma'u Crater where the summit eruption is now), the East Rift Zone and the Southwest Rift Zone. The new eruptive activity is in red (approx.) along the lower part of ERZ, pretty far from the summit. 3/

Volcanologists can't predict eruptions yet, but science allow us to have a good idea that the volcano is changing activity. A series of earthquakes was one sign Kilauea was changing. The level of the summit lava is dropping and the ground deflating, suggesting magma drainage. 4/

Yesterday, fissures vents (cracks) in the ground opened in 3 places along the East Rift Zone. Those are where the spattering lava in the drone videos is coming from. Lava fountains are common in fluid low-viscosity basalt lavas, like Kilauea's. These lavas also ooze while hot. 5/

Volcanic earthquakes indicate magma moving underground. Those combined with the summit deflation suggests magma leaving the summit and traveling elsewhere. Pu'u O'o, a cinder cone on Kilauea's flank, doesn't have active lava right now. It's not going there. This is Pu'u O'o. 6/

The East Rift Zone is a well-documented (& very inhabited) hazard zone. The whole eastern point of the island is either Zone 1 or Zone 2. 75% of Zone 2 has been covered by lava in the last 750 years. Zone 1 has had repeated lava activity in historic times. (Wright, et al.1992) 7/

We're not going to stop living near volcanoes (US has 2nd or 3rd highest # of active ones in the world, depending on the day), coasts, or fault lines. We must fund earthquake, volcano, hurricane, & tsunami warning systems. 8/

weather.com/news/news/2018…

Our understanding of hazards like volcanoes is improving all the time, but only if the government (main funder of scientific research) prioritizes science & we have elected offcials & appointees who give scientists a seat at the table. 9/

aaas.org/news/2019-scie…

Well, that & we can elect scientists to Congress who can help give science a voice. Lives depend on our ability to do good science & adapt to the hazards we face. Stay safe, everyone! Hawai'i nō ka 'oi!
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Go here to see live webcam views 24/7 of Kilauea, thanks to @USGS!

volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kila…