thumbnail

Tephra from Kīlauea’s 2008–2018 Lava Lake Eruption—Proximal Deposits and Dispersal Characteristics

Professional Paper 1867-D
By: , , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1867D

Links

Abstract

A network of ten buckets was established early in the 2008–2018 summit eruption at Kīlauea to collect proximal tephra ejected from the new, informally named the “Overlook crater”; the buckets were emptied on most days of the eruption thereafter. This report summarizes the results of more than 2,400 different sampling intervals (most 1–3 days long) during the eruption, focusing on the physical and dispersal characteristics of the tephra deposits. The network was within about 300 meters south of the vent to capture tephra dispersed by the dominant northeast trade wind. The juvenile tephra mainly reflected spattering at the southeast (SE) sink, a downwelling area in the southeastern part of the lava lake in the Overlook crater that remained in the same area throughout the eruption, with admixtures of solid rock and secondary minerals derived from the wall of the crater. The proportion of juvenile material to lithic material ranged widely early in the eruption but was generally greater than 90 percent for the last 6 years of the eruption as lake level rose and the crater walls decreased in height and became more stable. The accumulation rate of tephra at each bucket was strongly dependent on the location of the bucket and reflects the interplay between lava lake level and wind direction and speed. The mass per unit area (m/a) of collected tephra was a maximum of about 97 kilograms per square meter for the entire eruption, equivalent to a thickness of about 75 millimeters. Thirty-two explosive events with a volcanic explosivity index of −2 to −4 deposited much of the tephra in the network. Fifteen of these rock-fall-induced events occurred within 6 days of one another. Pele’s hair, a volcanic glass predominantly associated with quieter activity at the vent in the final half of the eruption, was dispersed more than 60 kilometers downwind from the lava lake and formed a nearly continuous deposit near the Overlook crater. This eruption was probably the most frequently sampled long-lasting eruption in history, but most of the deposits are ephemeral. The collected samples, although generally of small mass, are retained by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and are available for detailed study.

Suggested Citation

Swanson, D., Orr, T., Patrick, M., and Houghton, B., 2026, Tephra from Kīlauea’s 2008–2018 lava lake eruption—Proximal deposits and dispersal characteristics, chap. D of Patrick, M., Orr, T., Swanson, D., and Houghton, B., eds., The 2008–2018 Summit Lava Lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1867, 17 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1867D.

ISSN: 2330-7102 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Acknowledgments
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Installation and Management of Collecting Devices
  • Tephra-Collection Procedure
  • Conclusion
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Tephra from Kīlauea’s 2008–2018 lava lake eruption—Proximal deposits and dispersal characteristics
Series title Professional Paper
Series number 1867
Chapter D
DOI 10.3133/pp1867D
Publication Date June 12, 2026
Year Published 2026
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Volcano Science Center
Description Report: v, 17 p.; Data Release
Country United States
State Hawaii
Other Geospatial Kilauea
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Additional publication details