Deck 5b - Tectonics: Kilauea, Hawaii Flashcards
What year was the Kilauea, Hawaii eruption?
2018
What hazards were caused by the Kilauea eruption?
Lava flow, ash, gases (sulphur dioxide)
What type of plate boundary is Kilauea on and which tectonic plates are involved?
Hotspot (intraplate volcano) on the Pacific Plate
What type of volcano is Kilauea?
Hot spot, shield
What sort of magma does Kilauea produce and what sort of eruptions does this lead to? Why?
Mafic/basaltic from the mantle plume is erupted from a central vent plus smaller fissure eruptions on its flanks. Produces effusive eruptions due to low viscosity of the lava that allows gases to escape readily. In 2018 the earthquake was triggered by an earthquake.
How frequently does Kilauea erupt?
(FREQUENCY)
Continuous since 1983 usually via underground vents that takes lava into the sea. Numerous eruptions on land since monitoring began in 1912, averaging once every 3.9 years.
What was the VEI of the Kilauea eruption?
(MAGNITUDE)
VEI = 2
What was the duration of the Kilauea eruption?
(DURATION)
Started 3rd May and ended 4th September (4 months)
What signs were there before the Kilauea eruption occurred?
(PREDICTABILITY)
Harmonic tremors and swarms of earthquakes prior to the eruption. The largest was 6.9 MMS. Gas was also released.
How quickly did the Kilauea eruption occur?
(SPEED OF ONSET)
Lava flowed more slowly that previous smaller fissure eruptions. 27km/hour
What area did the Kilauea eruption impact?
(AREAL EXTENT)
Covered 35 km2 of land
What was the GNI of the USA before the Kilauea eruption?
(ECONOMIC vulnerability)
$63,390 per capita in 2018
What was the level of technology available on Hawaii, USA during the Kilauea eruption?
(ECONOMIC vulnerability)
High level of technology. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) was set up in 1912 where scientists have developed new volcano-monitoring instruments and networks to record and document activity at Hawaiian volcanoes. HVO detected a ‘glow’ at 9:30pm 2nd May and issued a ‘red’ alert an a hour later after a 4.4 MMS earthquake occurred beneath Kilauea. Eruption began at 7:45am 3rd May.
How educated were the Hawaiian population about the risks of volcanic eruptions prior to the Kilauea eruption?
(SOCIO-ECONOMIC vulnerability)
Compulsory primary and secondary education. Residents of Puna were well informed of risks and evacuation plans.
How strong is the governance of Hawaii?
(POLTICAL vulnerability)
USA has a strong, stable, democratic government that has funded continuous monitoring of Kilauea. Federal assistance could cover 75% of cost of impacts to individuals as reviewed on a case by case basis