September 17, 2024 —Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone eruption sampling

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists collected a sample of the middle East Rift Zone Kīlauea eruption in Nāpau Crater, within a closed area Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Geologists put molten lava into a metal bucket and rapidly quench it with water. The fast quench is needed to preserve the geochemistry of the fresh sample and prevent changes that would result from the formation of crystals during slow cooling. The samples will be taken to the lab for analysis, providing scientists with information about conditions in the magma chamber and magma's path to the surface.