Jim Kauahikaua
Science and Products
Groundwater dynamics at Kīlauea Volcano and vicinity, Hawaiʻi
Kīlauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiʻi, is surrounded and permeated by active groundwater systems that interact dynamically with the volcanic system. A generalized conceptual model of Hawaiian hydrogeology includes high-level dike-impounded groundwater, very permeable perched and basal aquifers, and a transition (mixing) zone between freshwater...
Patrick, Matthew R.; Orr, Tim R.; Swanson, Don; Houghton, Bruce F.; Hurwitz, Shaul; Peek, Sara E.; Scholl, Martha A.; Bergfeld, Deborah; Evans, William C.; Kauahikaua, James P.; Gingerich, Stephen B.; Hsieh, Paul A.; Lee, R. Lopaka; Younger, Edward F.; Ingebritsen, Steven E.
Views of a century of activity at Kīlauea Caldera—A visual essay
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano marked the end of the first sustained period of volcanic activity at Halemaʻumaʻu Crater in 94 years. The views of the lava lake (informally named “Overlook,” nestled within Halemaʻumaʻu) lasted for a decade and seemed timeless. But as we were recently reminded, the summit of Kīlauea is part of a dynamic system...
Patrick, Matthew R.; Orr, Tim R.; Swanson, Don; Houghton, Bruce F.; Gaddis, Ben; Kauahikaua, James P.
Correcting the historical record for Kīlauea Volcano's 1832, 1868, and 1877 summit eruptions
Three fissure eruptions are known to have occurred along the northeastern edge of Kīlauea's summit caldera in the 19th century—in the years 1832, 1868, and 1877. Modern portrayal of these eruptions on maps and in written sources indicates that the 1832 eruption was from a fissure on the side of the Poliokeawe scarp south of Byron Ledge, the 1868...
Orr, Tim R.; Hazlett, Richard W.; DeSmither, Liliana G.; Kauahikaua, James P.; Gaddis, Ben Modeling groundwater inflow to the new crater lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
During the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i, scientists relied heavily on a conceptual model of explosive eruptions triggered when lava‐lake levels drop below the water table. Numerical modeling of multiphase groundwater flow and heat transport revealed that, contrary to expectations, liquid water inflow to the drained magma conduit would...
Ingebritsen, Steven E.; Flinders, Ashton F.; Kauahikaua, James P.; Hsieh, Paul A.
Have humans influenced volcanic activity on the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano? A publication review
Since the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, the topic of whether commercial developments not only caused the eruption to occur in the lower East Rift Zone (LERZ), but also caused its high eruption rate has been a subject of public discussion. We review Kīlauea Volcano publications from the past several decades and show that the eruptive behavior...
Kauahikaua, James P.; Trusdell, Frank A. Cyclic lava effusion during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano
Lava flows present a recurring threat to communities on active volcanoes, and volumetric eruption rate is one of the primary factors controlling flow behavior and hazard. The timescales and driving forces of eruption rate variability, however, remain poorly understood. In 2018, a highly destructive eruption occurred on the lower flank of Kīlauea...
Patrick, Matthew R.; Dietterich, Hannah R.; Lyons, John J.; Diefenbach, Angela K.; Parcheta, Carolyn; Anderson, Kyle R.; Namiki, Atsuko; Sumita, Ikuro; Shiro, Brian; Kauahikaua, James P. Tradition and science chronicle Pele's unyielding power
No abstract available.
Kauahikaua, James P.
The lava flow that came to Hilo—The 1880–81 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawai‘i
The Mauna Loa eruption sequence of 1880–81 consists of two eruptions. The May 1880 eruption in Mokuʻāweoweo at the summit of Mauna Loa lasted just a few days and was followed 6 months later by three lava flows that issued from vents along the Northeast Rift Zone. The November 1880 eruption lasted almost a year and one of its flows nearly reached...
Kauahikaua, James P.; Gaddis, Ben; Kanahele, Ku`ulei; Hon, Ken; Wasser, Valerie 3D electrical conductivity imaging of Halema‘uma‘u lava lake (Kīlauea volcano)
Before the 2018 collapse of the summit of Kīlauea volcano, a ca. 200 m in diameter lava lake inside of Halema‘uma‘u crater was embedded in a very active hydrothermal system. In 2015, we carried out an electrical conductivity survey and the data were inverted in 3D. The lack of conductivity contrast precludes distinguishing the lava column from the...
Gailler, Lydie; Kauahikaua, James P.; Lénat, Jean-François; Revil, André; Gresse, Marceau; Ahmed, Abdellahi Soueid; Cluzel, Nicolas; Manthilake, Geeth; Gurioli, Lucia; Johnson, Tim B.; Finizola, Anthony; Delcher, Eric Communication strategy of the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory during the lava-flow crisis of 2014–2015, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
In 2014–2015, a slow-moving pāhoehoe lava flow from the remote Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent on Kīlauea Volcano advanced 20 km into populated areas of the Puna District on the Island of Hawai‘i. The staff of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) mobilized their resources to closely monitor the flow and provide up-to-date...
Brantley, Steven; Kauahikaua, James P.; Babb, Janet; Orr, Tim R.; Patrick, Matthew R.; Poland, Michael P.; Trusdell, Frank A.; Oliveira, Darryl 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 A.; 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 F.; 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 Gravity signature of basaltic fill in Kīlauea caldera, Island of Hawai‘i
Characterization of the subsurface structure of a volcanic edifice is essential to understanding volcanic behavior. One of the best-studied volcanoes is Kīlauea (Island of Hawai‘i). Geological evidence suggests that the formation of the summit caldera of Kīlauea is cyclic, with repeated collapse followed by filling with lava. The most recent...
Gailler, Lydie; Kauahikaua, James P.
Volcano Watch — Mauna Loa Volcano's 1935 lava flow seen in current media coverage of Mauna Kea
Volcano Watch — USGS to survey Kīlauea Volcano from its summit to Kumukahi
Since the end of 2018's volcanic activity, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists have wanted to resurvey Kīlauea Volcano's ground surface to document changes brought about by the Puna eruption and summit collapse. Doing so would allow us to more accurately answer questions about the total volumes of erupted lava and summit subsidence that occurred last summer.
Volcano Watch - What caused—or did not cause—the 2018 Kīlauea eruption?
When a major geologic event occurs, scientists who study such events and the people who are directly or indirectly impacted by it seek to understand its cause. Often, a first step toward that understanding is to rule out what did not cause the event.
Volcano Watch - How is lava flow thickness measured and why does it matter?
Eruption rate (how much lava comes out of the ground per unit time) is probably the best measure of volcanic activity, and the first step in that calculation is to measure lava flow thickness and area.
Volcano Watch — A summit collapse 150 years ago had similarities to the 2018 collapse
The prolonged yet dramatic partial collapse of Kīlauea caldera this past summer was the first to be observed in detail and the largest measured by subsidence volume of more than a dozen summit collapses in the past 200 years. The earliest known collapses (1823, 1832, and 1840) were large in subsidence volume but the process was not recorded by witnesses.
Volcano Watch — How long will Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone eruption continue?
"How long will it last?" is one of the most challenging questions asked about a volcanic eruption, including Kīlauea Volcano's current lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption.
Volcano Watch — Disaster strikes Ka‘ū in 1868: The rest of the story
Already reeling from a destructive earthquake and deadly tsunami and mud flow on April 2, 1868, Ka‘ū residents on the Island of Hawai‘i hoped for a reprieve, but it was slow to come.
Volcano Watch — Did aerial bombing stop the 1935 Mauna Loa lava flow?
A widely-held belief is that Thomas Jaggar, founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, was able to stop a Mauna Loa lava flow in 1935. But is it true?
Volcano Watch — The Mystery Haze of 1950: vog by another name would look as clear
On June 13, 1950, Honolulu was suddenly blanketed by the thickest haze seen since recordkeeping began there in 1906.
Volcano Watch — 19th century virtual reality brings Hawaiian volcano to life
In 1888, Tavernier went one step further and created what we would now call a virtual reality depiction of Kīlauea volcano—the "Panorama of Kīlauea," an 11-foot tall canvas arranged in a circle with a 90-foot circumference.
Volcano Watch — Where (and how) you gonna go when the volcano flows?
Island of Hawai‘i residents, especially those living in South Kona and Ka‘ū Districts, which are at particular risk from Mauna Loa's Southwest Rift Zone, might wonder where they're gonna go when the volcano erupts—even if it flows, rather than "blows." But, more than knowing where to go, a greater challenge might be how to get there.
Volcano Watch — Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist receives two prestigious awards
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Don Swanson was recently named as the recipient of two prestigious awards.