Don Swanson
Science and Products
The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano
In 2018, Kīlauea Volcano experienced its largest lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption and caldera collapse in at least 200 years. After collapse of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent on 30 April, magma propagated downrift. Eruptive fissures opened in the LERZ on 3 May, eventually extending ~6.8 km. A 4 May earthquake (M6.9) produced ~5 m of fault slip. Lava...
Neal, Christina; Brantley, Steven; Antolik, Loren; Babb, Janet; Burgess, Matthew K.; Cappos, Michael; Chang, Jefferson; Conway, Sarah; Desmither, Liliana; Dotray, Peter; Elias, Tamar; Fukunaga, Pauline; Fuke, Steven; Johanson, Ingrid; Kamibayashi, Kevan; Kauahikaua, James P.; Lee, R. Lopaka; Pekalib, S.; Miklius, Asta; Shiro, Brian; Swanson, Don; Nadeau, Patricia; Zoeller, Michael H.; Okubo, P.; Parcheta, Carolyn; Patrick, Matthew R.; Tollett, William; Trusdell, Frank A.; Younger, Edward (Frank); Montgomery-brown, Emily; Anderson, Kyle R.; Poland, Michael P.; Ball, Jessica L.; Bard, Joseph A.; Coombs, Michelle L.; Dietterich, Hannah R.; Kern, Christoph; Thelen, Weston; Cervelli, Peter; Orr, Tim R.; Houghton, Bruce F.; Gansecki, Cheryl; Hazlett, Richard; Lundgren, Paul; Diefenbach, Angela K.; Lerner, Allan; Waite, Greg; Kelly, Peter J.; Clor, Laura E.; Werner, Cynthia; Burgess, Matthew; Mulliken, Katherine; Fisher, Gary
Lava lake activity at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano in 2016
The ongoing summit eruption at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, began in March 2008 with the formation of the Overlook crater, within Halema‘uma‘u Crater. As of late 2016, the Overlook crater contained a large, persistently active lava lake (250 × 190 meters). The accessibility of the lake allows frequent direct observations, and a robust geophysical...
Patrick, Matthew R.; Orr, Tim R.; Swanson, Donald A.; Elias, Tamar; Shiro, Brian Shallow and deep controls on lava lake surface motion at Kīlauea Volcano
Lava lakes provide a rare window into magmatic behavior, and lake surface motion has been used to infer deeper properties of the magmatic system. At Halema'uma'u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, multidisciplinary observations for the past several years indicate that lava lake surface motion can be broadly divided into two regimes: 1)...
Patrick, Matthew R.; Orr, Tim R.; Swanson, Don; Lev, Einat Automated tracking of lava lake level using thermal images at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai’i
Tracking the level of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai’i, is an essential part of monitoring the ongoing eruption and forecasting potentially hazardous changes in activity. We describe a simple automated image processing routine that analyzes continuously-acquired thermal images of the...
Patrick, Matthew R.; Swanson, Don; Orr, Tim R. Magma transport and olivine crystallization depths in Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone inferred from experimentally rehomogenized melt inclusions
Concentrations of H2O and CO2 in olivine-hosted melt inclusions can be used to estimate crystallization depths for the olivine host. However, the original dissolved CO2concentration of melt inclusions at the time of trapping can be difficult to measure directly because in many cases substantial CO2 is transferred to shrinkage bubbles...
Tuohy, Robin M; Wallace, Paul J.; Loewen, Matthew W.; Swanson, Don; Kent, Adam J R Stronger or longer: Discriminating between Hawaiian and Strombolian eruption styles
The weakest explosive volcanic eruptions globally, Strombolian explosions and Hawaiian fountaining, are also the most common. Yet, despite over a hundred years of observations, no classifications have offered a convincing, quantitative way of demarcating these two styles. New observations show that the two styles are distinct in their eruptive...
Houghton, Bruce F.; Taddeucci, Jacopo; Andronico, D.; Gonnerman, H; Pistolesi, M; Patrick, Matthew R.; Orr, Tim R.; Swanson, Don; Edmonds, M; Carey, Rebecca J.; Scarlato, P. Hawaiian fissure fountains: Quantifying vent and shallow conduit geometry, episode 1 of the 1969-1974 Mauna Ulu eruption: Chapter 17
Geometries of shallow magmatic pathways feeding volcanic eruptions are poorly constrained, yet many key interpretations about eruption dynamics depend on knowledge of these geometries. Direct quantification is difficult because vents typically become blocked with lava at the end of eruptions. Indirect geophysical techniques have shed light on some...
Carey, Rebecca; Cayol, Valérie; Poland, Michael P.; Weis, Dominique; Parcheta, Carolyn; Fagents, Sarah; Swanson, Donald A.; Houghton, Bruce F.; Ericksen, Todd Dynamics of an open basaltic magma system: The 2008 activity of the Halema‘uma‘u Overlook vent, Kīlauea Caldera
On March 19, 2008 a small explosive event accompanied the opening of a 35-m-wide vent (Overlook vent) on the southeast wall of Halema‘uma‘u Crater in Kīlauea Caldera, initiating an eruptive period that extends to the time of writing. The peak of activity, in 2008, consisted of alternating background open-system outgassing and...
Eychenne, Julia; Houghton, Bruce F.; Swanson, Don; Carey, Rebecca; Swavely, Lauren Onset of a basaltic explosive eruption from Kīlauea’s summit in 2008: Chapter 19
The onset of a basaltic eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano in 2008 is recorded in the products generated during the first three weeks of the eruption and suggests an evolution of both the physical properties of the magma and also lava lake levels and vent wall stability. Ash componentry and the microtextures of the early erupted lapilli...
Carey, Rebecca; Cayol, Valérie; Poland, Michael P.; Weis, Dominique; Carey, Rebecca J.; Swavely, Lauren; Swanson, Don; Houghton, Bruce F.; Orr, Tim R.; Elias, Tamar; Sutton, Andrew Reticulite‐producing fountains from ring fractures in Kīlauea Caldera ca. 1500 CE: Chapter 16
A widely dispersed reticulite bed occurs close to the base of the Keanakākoʻi Tephra at Kīlauea Volcano. It can be divided into six subunits in the northern sector of the volcano; the reticulite also occurs in the southern sector, but outcrops are sparse owing to penecontemporaneous erosion and burial. Multilobate isopachs for each...
Carey, Rebecca; Cayol, Valérie; Poland, Michael P.; Weis, Dominique; May, Michael; Carey, Rebecca J.; Swanson, Don; Houghton, Bruce F.
The dynamics of Hawaiian-style eruptions: A century of study: Chapter 8 in Characteristics of Hawaiian volcanoes
This chapter, prepared in celebration of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatoryʼs centennial, provides a historical lens through which to view modern paradigms of Hawaiian-style eruption dynamics. The models presented here draw heavily from observations, monitoring, and experiments conducted on Kīlauea Volcano, which, as the site of frequent and...
Poland, Michael P.; Takahashi, T. Jane; Landowski, Claire M.; Mangan, Margaret T.; Cashman, Katharine V.; Swanson, Donald A. Reconstructing the deadly eruptive events of 1790 CE at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i
A large number of people died during an explosive eruption of Kīlauea Volcano in 1790 CE. Detailed study of the upper part of the Keanakāko‘i Tephra has identified the deposits that may have been responsible for the deaths. Three successive units record shifts in eruption style that agree well with accounts of the eruption based on survivor...
Swanson, Don; Weaver, Samantha J; Houghton, Bruce F.
Volcano Watch - What does water in Halema‘uma‘u mean?
The slowly deepening pond of water on the floor of Halema‘uma‘u, the first in recorded history, has captured the interest of media and the public, both locally and nationally. Many questions are being asked. The two most frequent are, where is the water coming from and what is its importance?
Volcano Watch - Water or no water: that is (or was) the question
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists usually base their research on observations, either visual or instrumental. Interpretations come from these observations, so they must be as good as possible. Incorrect observations can, and have, led to erroneous interpretations.
Volcano Watch - New outcrops make good geology
A good field geologist is an opportunist. Never content with what outcrops are available, she jumps at the chance to see another one, hoping that it will provide a better understanding to some question about what happened in the past.
Volcano Watch - Now is an exciting time at Kīlauea
This is, without a doubt, the most intellectually exciting time to be a volcanologist at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The current inactivity at Kīlauea has so many possible outcomes that it is a real challenge to figure out what might happen next. And intellectual challenges are stimulating and exciting.
Volcano Watch - Will this summer's limited collapse of Kīlauea caldera eventually widen?
The limited collapse of the inner part of Kīlauea Volcano's caldera this summer fell well short of the larger summit-wide collapses that occurred in the past. How many such limited collapses can we recognize at Kīlauea before written records were kept? The answer is none.
Volcano Watch - Progress can be slow but adds up
Where do we stand today with big-picture knowledge of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa acquired in the past few decades?
Volcano Watch - When you need information about Hawaiian volcanoes, turn to the USGS
For information about Hawaiian volcanoes, a good place to start is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Between its websites and publications, abundant resources are at your disposal.
Volcano Watch - A geologist remembers the Mount St. Helens eruption 37 years ago
This week's Volcano Watch was written by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Don Swanson, who worked on Mount St. Helens before and after the 1980 eruption.
Volcano Watch - Pulsing magma supply detected at Kīlauea
This is the story of how a new concept—slowly pulsing magma supply to Kīlauea—emerged from observations of the Overlook lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u.
Volcano Watch - An assumption about Kīlauea Volcano is proven wrong
Everyone extrapolates facts and makes assumptions based on those facts. Sometimes, such an assumption is repeated so often that it takes on the aura of a "fact" itself. This is the story of how one such assumption about Kīlauea's recent past was proven wrong—and only in the past couple of months!
Volcano Watch - Amber waves of … Pele's hair?
The lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano is creating a scene remindful of a messy barbershop floor, except that it's acres and acres wide rather than a few square feet. The ground downwind of the crater is strewn with Pele's hair, and it is almost impossible to avoid stepping on it.
Volcano Watch - August 6 explosive event at Kīlauea Volcano's summit just one among many
The explosive event at Halema‘uma‘u Crater's lava lake on August 6, 2016, was the latest in a series that began in 2008. It is useful to view the event in the context of the entire series and to consider if another is likely.