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December 23, 2024 - Preparing Kīlauea's newest eruption samples

Detailed Description

Kīlauea's newest eruption samples contain olivine - a common green mineral in Hawaiian lavas. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and University of Hawai‘i at Hilo staff are picking out the olivine crystals like this one, shown using a microscope to magnify it (the crystal is 1 mm in size, or about 0.04 inches across), to analyze their chemistry. Olivine crystals can help us understand how, when, and where magmas moved inside the volcano prior to eruption. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

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Public Domain.

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