When lava fountains have erupted at the summit of Kīlauea, one question always quickly follows: How tall is that fountain?
Volcano Minute is a weekly audio activity or science update produced by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates.
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When lava fountains have erupted at the summit of Kīlauea, one question always quickly follows: How tall is that fountain?
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists have had lots of opportunities to fine-tune how they measure lava fountain heights.
The first estimates come in real time. During an eruption, geologists monitor summit webcams and use image overlays that have been calibrated to the camera's viewing geometry to estimate fountain heights for public updates.
But the most accurate measurements come later. After an episode ends, scientists collect images from a network of timelapse cameras positioned around the caldera. These cameras capture one image every minute, around the clock.
Back in the lab, geologists carefully review hundreds of images, manually marking the top of the continuous fountain in each frame. Using the camera's calibrated field of view and the measured distance to the vent, those pixel measurements are converted into actual heights.
Could artificial intelligence eventually do the job? Maybe someday. But for now, human measurements remain the gold standard.
And thanks to that careful work, a new public data release now documents fountain heights from Kīlauea's first 50 eruptive episodes.
Mahalo for listening, I’m Katie Mulliken and this was your weekly volcano minute brought to you by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.