Shatter Ring on the PKK Lava Tube

(March 20, 2006, 11:30:10 to March 22, 2006, 07:00:16) The flow field feature seen here in profile is a shatter ring. Shatter rings are circular to elliptical volcanic features, typically tens of meters in diameter, that form over active lava tubes (Kauahikaua and others, 2003; Orr, 2011) They are typified by an upraised rim of blocky rubble and a central depression. Dozens of shatter rings have been identified on volcanoes in Hawai‘i, and they have been reported from basaltic lava fields across the globe. They form when lava pressure in the tube repeatedly exceeds the strength of the overlying rock. Flexing and uplift of the tube roof deposits rubble around the edges of the mobile area. This movie shows a series of four shatter ring uplift cycles over three days, each cycle accompanied by lava breakouts from the base of the shatter ring. The uplift is obvious during daylight hours, but at night only the associated breakout is visible. The shatter ring shown here was about 40 meters across. The time-lapse camera that acquired the images that make up this movie was positioned about 1 kilometer east of the shatter ring, and the images were cropped to highlight the shatter ring. Movie Details: Image interval = 10 minutes Playback speed = 10 frames/sec Movie duration = 00:00:26 Camera Coordinates (WGS84): Lat: 19.3770º Long: -155.0950º View direction = ~270º