Lava Ooze-Outs in Kīlauea examined by scientists

(Bivn) – The continued outbreak on the summit of Kīlauea is currently being held. The USGS Hawaiian Vulcano Observatory reported on Saturday that preliminary data indicates that the next episode, Episode 23, “can occur by the end of the next week or early week”, although a better estimate is made if further information is available.

The latest Vulkan clock The article examines the lava oke-outs that were observed in the course of the outbreak into Halemaʻumaʻu.

This week Vulkan clock was written by the HVO geologist Kendra Lynn:

Kīlauea has had six broken summits in Kaluapele in the past 4 years: 2020–2021 (five months), 2021–2022 (1.25 years), January to March 2023 (three months), June 2023 (1.5 weeks), September 2023 (one week) and the current 2024–2025 eruption (eruption (five months). Each of these outbreaks has collapsed in 2018 Area filled, and Lava now reaches more than 425 meters deep (for comparison the Empire State Building is 380 meters or 1250 feet high).

During many of these outbursts, USGS Hawaiian Vulcano Observatory (HVO) field teams “Ooze Outs” documented – where Lava under the solidified surface crust squeezes out on the bottom of the crater, usually in places that are far away from the surface building. These Ooze -Outs show us that despite the firm crust on the surface, some parts of the interior have melted, even in the periods between eruptions.

In the earlier outbreaks, Feldcrews had limited access to the outbreaks in Halemaʻuma'u, since the ventilation slots are deep in the collapsed area of ​​Kaluapele. When the surface of the crater and thus increasing the ventilation slots with each breakout since 2020 increased by time, secure options for sample lava flows were possible.

With permission and coordination of the Hawaii Vulcanoes National Park, the HVO field crews recently tried the Lava -Outs directly since 2020. As part of the HVO agreement with Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, HVO employees at the Vulkanhaus are typically at the Vulkanhauses and the steam crisis. and field operations.

The location of the Ooze -Outs is documented with photographs and thermal images. The thermal images are used to create a thermal map that often shows the pregnancies on the eastern side of Halema'uma'u, far from active surface flows that are fed by LAVA fountain. These different types of lava flows can be seen from public viewpoints at many points around Kaluapele in the Hawaii volcano -National Park (sometimes also in times between the eruptive episodes).

USGS: “Thermal map of the Halema'uma'u interface on April 2, 2025 (Episode 16). Primary, Lava fountain fed flows that get to the east (annotations 1-4), next to the region, in the spotty distal Oozrinse-OUTS-OUTS-SAGE-OUTS-FELDER-FIELD-FIELD-FIELD-FIELD-FIELD-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-F-F-F-F Ield-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Field-Fountain-Fountain-Fountain-Fountain-Fountain-Fountain-Fountain-Faken were achieved in the laboratory.

Ooze-out laves are spiky pāhoehoe; They have a rough surface structure compared to fresh Pāhoehoe, which is fed by hot lava -sunan. These spiky currents are viscosers (they flow more slowly) because they had time to cool down. They also have lower gas content (are denser) and the analysis in the laboratory shows that they are also very crystal kingdom.

The most common mineral in Hawaiian eruptions is olivine (which is green), but other minerals can be found in Laven that had more time to cool (e.g. white plagioclas and dark green/brown pyroxen). The Ooze laven collected from Halema'uma'U'u are dominated by clots of plagioclas and pyroxen with minor quantities smaller (<0.5 mm or 0.02 inches).

Ooze-outs also contain larger olivinkristals (1-2 mm or 0.04 to 0.08 inches), which have been recycled from previous eruptions or episodes. These larger crystals were originally formed in the Magma Reservoirs under Kaluapele. They were broken out in one of the previous lava lakes and then recently broken out in an ooze.

USGS: “Photography of a polished Kīlauea-Lava sample that was collected in Halema'uma'u before the beginning of Episode 12 during the episode on March 4, 2025. Every light spot (example in the red circle) on the black background is a cluster of minerals with an approximate diarrhea of ​​less than 1 millimeter (0.03 angels).” (USGS photo)

We know that these crystals had this complex history, since two university catchers at Hilo students carefully examined the rehearsals from January to March 2023 and June 2023 according to Halemaʻuma'u outbreaks. Their work has documented minerals that can be found in these eruptions, and they have identified by chemical and structural analysis through chemical and structural analysis, similar to the latest OOZE outs.

Additional information is made from the comparison of the latest ooze-out samples with the rock core from the Kīlauea Iki Lava lake in the 1960s and 1970s. Investigations into these showed that the Lava lake interior, which was fed by 17 episodes in 1959, took decades in Kīlaua Iki Iki eruption to cool a variety of minerals.

Every eruptive episode and a successful mission of sampling provides further insights into the development of Halemaʻuma'u and helps us to understand Kīlaua's eruptive behavior.