Catalog of Tephra samples from Kilauea's summit eruption, March-December 2008
Open-File Report
2009-1134
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Abstract
The opening of a new vent within Halema'uma'u Crater in March 2008 ended a 26-year period of no eruptive activity at the summit of Kilauea Volcano. It also heralded the first explosive activity at Kilauea's summit since 1924 and the first of eight discrete explosive events in 2008. At the onset of the eruption, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) initiated a rigorous program of sample collection to provide a temporally constrained suite of tephra samples for petrographic, geochemical, and isotopic studies. Petrologic studies help us understand conditions of magma generation at depth; processes related to transport, storage, and mixing of magma within the shallow summit region; and specific circumstances leading to explosive eruptions.
This report provides a catalog of tephra samples erupted at Kilauea's summit from March 19, 2008, through the end of 2008. The Kilauea 2008 Summit Sample Catalog is tabulated in the accompanying Microsoft Excel file, of2009-1134.xls (four file types linked on right). The worksheet in this file provides sampling information and sample descriptions. Contextual information for this catalog is provided below and includes (1) a narrative of 2008 summit eruptive activity, (2) a description of sample collection methods, (3) a scheme for characterizing a diverse range in tephra lithology, and (4) an explanation of each category of sample information (column headers) in the Microsoft Excel worksheet.
Suggested Citation
Wooten, K., Thornber, C.R., Orr, T., Ellis, J.F., Trusdell, F., 2009, Catalog of Tephra samples from Kilauea's summit eruption, March-December 2008: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1134, Report: iii, 26 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20091134.
ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Catalog of Tephra samples from Kilauea's summit eruption, March-December 2008 |
| Series title | Open-File Report |
| Series number | 2009-1134 |
| DOI | 10.3133/ofr20091134 |
| Year Published | 2009 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Contributing office(s) | Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Volcano Hazards Team |
| Description | Report: iii, 26 p. |
| Time Range Start | 2008-03-01 |
| Time Range End | 2008-12-31 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Hawaii |
| Other Geospatial | Kilauea |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | Y |