Tectonic and volcanic activity causes fractures, called faults, to form in the rock that makes up the Earth's crust. The event provided a wealth of simultaneous data about the behavior of both high- and low-viscosity magma, as well as about the pre-eruption stresses in the solid rock underlying Kīlauea. Where the channel slowed down in flat areas, it spread out and formed a braided pattern, seen here. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.Ī fast-moving lava channel flowed from the Ahu'aila'au cone about 10 kilometers away to the ocean, where it covered about 36 square kilometers of land along the way and created 3.5-square-kilometers of new land along the coast. This situation provided unprecedented access to information for many researchers, including Roman and her colleagues-Arianna Soldati and Don Dingwell of Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Bruce Houghton of University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, and Brian Shiro of the U.S. The first of 24 fissures opened in early May, and the eruption continued for exactly three months. The 2018 event included the first eruptive activity in Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone since 1960. This could help scientists and emergency managers understand possible patterns of future eruptions. She led new work identifying an indicator of magma viscosity that can be measured before an eruption. 'So, we are always trying to identify early indications of magma viscosity that could help forecast a volcano's eruption style.' 'But magma viscosity is usually only quantified well after an eruption, not in advance,' explained Carnegie's Diana Roman.

On the other hand, extrusion of more viscous magma results in slower-moving lava flows. Very viscous magmas are linked with more powerful explosions because they can block gas from escaping through vents, allowing pressure to build up inside the volcano's plumbing system. In particular, the viscosity of this molten rock is a major factor in influencing how hazardous an eruption could be for nearby communities. The properties of the magma inside a volcano affect how an eruption will play out.

High viscosity magma