Matthew Patrick, Ph.D.
I am a geologist with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, conducting research and monitoring of active eruptions.
Professional Experience
US Geological Survey - Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: Research Geologist, 2007-present
Michigan Tech University: Postdoctoral Researcher, 2006-2007
University of Hawaii Manoa: Postdoctoral Researcher, 2005-2006
Education and Certifications
University of Hawai‘i Mānoa Geology 8/02 – 8/05 Ph.D. 2005
University of Alaska Fairbanks Geology 8/99 – 5/02 M.S. 2002
Cornell University Geology 8/95 – 5/99 B.S. 1999
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 29
Stochastic lava flow forecasting code used during the 2014-2015 Pāhoa lava flow crisis, Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i Stochastic lava flow forecasting code used during the 2014-2015 Pāhoa lava flow crisis, Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i
The 1983-2018 Puʻuʻōʻō eruption, on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano, consisted of many different episodes and several phases of lava flows threatening residential areas (Heliker and Mattox 2003; Orr and others 2015). One of these crises occurred in 2014-2015, when lava erupting from Puʻuʻōʻō advanced north of the rift zone, towards the town of Pāhoa (Poland and others 2016...
Thermal camera images of lava lake and crater filling activity at Puʻuʻōʻō, East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2011-2019 Thermal camera images of lava lake and crater filling activity at Puʻuʻōʻō, East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2011-2019
The 35-year-long Puʻuʻōʻō eruption, on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano, was the longest volcanic eruption on the Island of Hawaiʻi in the past 100 years (Wright and Klein 2014; Mulliken and others 2023). The eruption, whose vent area was focused at and around Puʻuʻōʻō cone, produced episodic fountaining in its initial few years followed by decades of effusive activity that created...
Timelapse camera and webcam images of the fissure 8 lava flow during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi Timelapse camera and webcam images of the fissure 8 lava flow during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, was one of the most destructive effusive eruptions worldwide in the past century, destroying over 700 structures (Neal and others, 2019; Meredith and others, 2022). Between May and September 2018, a total of 24 fissures opened, producing a lava flow field with an area of 36 km2. By the end of May, the eruption...
Thermal maps of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi Thermal maps of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano included both a large effusive eruption on the lower East Rift Zone and associated collapse and subsidence of the caldera floor at the summit (Anderson and others 2019; Neal and others 2019; Patrick and others 2020). Lava erupted from 24 fissures on the lower East Rift Zone over four months, with high effusion rates (>100 m3 s-1) often supplying lava...
Photogrammetry-derived digital elevation models and source images for an inactive perched lava lake formed at Pu‘u‘ō‘ō (Kīlauea) in 2014 Photogrammetry-derived digital elevation models and source images for an inactive perched lava lake formed at Pu‘u‘ō‘ō (Kīlauea) in 2014
Lava flow hazards are usually thought to end when the erupting vent becomes inactive, but this is not always the case. At Kīlauea in August 2014, a spiny ʻaʻā flow erupted from the levee of a crusted perched lava lake that had been inactive for a month, and the surface of the lava lake subsided as the flow advanced downslope over the following few days. Topography constructed from...
Thermal camera data for the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, 2019–2022 Thermal camera data for the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, 2019–2022
Following the 2018 collapses of the caldera floor at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano (Anderson and others, 2019; Neal and others, 2019), the enlarged and deepened depression hosted a variety of volcanic activity between 2019 and 2022. These events included an unprecedented water lake and two prolonged episodes of lava lake activity. This data release includes images from a stationary...
Elevation of the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, from 2009 to 2018 Elevation of the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, from 2009 to 2018
This data release includes measurements of the surface elevation of the lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, during the 2008-2018 summit eruption (Patrick and others, 2021). The data were measured by several instruments (laser rangefinder, webcams, lidar) and are compiled here to provide the most complete dataset yet available on the elevation of...
Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020 Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020
In 2018, a large effusive eruption on the lower flank of Kīlauea Volcano was associated with collapse and subsidence of the summit caldera floor (Neal and others, 2019). The bottom of Halemaʻumaʻu, a crater nested within the summit caldera, subsided by more than 500 m. In July 2019, water was observed ponding on the deepest part of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor and the water rose and...
Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
At 11:21 p.m. (Hawaii Standard Time [HST]) on November 27, 2022, Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawaiʻi started erupting from fissures at its summit caldera, Mokuʻāweoweo. This was followed shortly afterwards by the opening of a segment of fissures in the direction of the Southwest Rift Zone. These were mostly within the structural boundary of the caldera, so their location is...
Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2025-05-02) Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2025-05-02)
We depict changing eruptive features within the summit caldera of Kilauea volcano, Island of Hawai'i with rapid-response digital elevation models (DEMs) acquired since a series of caldera-filling effusive eruptions began on December 20, 2020. These eruptions follow the caldera collapse of 2018, with new lava progressively filling the approximately 1-cubic-kilometer pit that formed...
Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020 Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020
During 2018, Kilauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiii, had a large effusive eruption (~1 cubic kilometer of lava) on the lower East Rift Zone that caused widespread destruction (Neal and others, 2019; Dietterich and others, 2021). This lower flank eruption was accompanied by one of the largest collapses of the summit caldera in two hundred years, with portions of the caldera floor...
Crater geometry data for Puʻuʻōʻō, on Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone, in May 2018 Crater geometry data for Puʻuʻōʻō, on Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone, in May 2018
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption and accompanying summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, comprised one of the most impactful events on the volcano in the past 200 years, with hundreds of homes destroyed and major changes in the topography of the summit caldera. The opening stages of this eruptive sequence started on 30 April, when a magmatic dike began moving east from...
Filter Total Items: 76
Eruption of stagnant lava from an inactive perched lava lake Eruption of stagnant lava from an inactive perched lava lake
Lava flow hazards are usually thought to end when the erupting vent becomes inactive, but this is not always the case. At Kīlauea in August 2014, a spiny ʻaʻā flow erupted from the levee of a crusted perched lava lake that had been inactive for a month, and the surface of the lava lake subsided as the flow advanced downslope over the following few days. Topography constructed from...
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Michael H. Zoeller, Edward W. Llewellin, Matthew R. Patrick
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea: Insights, puzzles, and opportunities for volcano science The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea: Insights, puzzles, and opportunities for volcano science
The science of volcanology advances disproportionately during exceptionally large or well-observed eruptions. The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawai‘i) was its most impactful in centuries, involving an outpouring of more than one cubic kilometer of basalt, a magnitude 7 flank earthquake, and the volcano’s largest summit collapse since at least the nineteenth century. Eruptive...
Authors
Kyle R. Anderson, Tom Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Donald A. Swanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Brian Shiro, Christina A. Neal
Dynamics of the December 2020 ash-poor plume formed by lava-water interaction at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Dynamics of the December 2020 ash-poor plume formed by lava-water interaction at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
On 20 December 2020, after more than 2 years of quiescence at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, renewed volcanic activity in the summit crater caused boiling of the water lake over a period of ∼90 min. The resulting water-rich, electrified plume rose to 11–13 km above sea level, which is among the highest plumes on record for Kīlauea. Although conventional models would infer a high mass flux...
Authors
Ryan Cain Cahalan, Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Shaul Hurwitz, Adam B. Smith, Josef Dufek, Stephen A. Solovitz, Matthew R. Patrick, Jo Schmith, Carolyn Parcheta, Weston Thelen, Drew T. Downs
Lava fountain jet noise during the 2018 eruption of fissure 8 of Kīlauea volcano Lava fountain jet noise during the 2018 eruption of fissure 8 of Kīlauea volcano
Real-time monitoring is crucial to assess hazards and mitigate risks of sustained volcanic eruptions that last hours to months or more. Sustained eruptions have been shown to produce a low frequency (infrasonic) form of jet noise. We analyze the lava fountaining at fissure 8 during the 2018 Lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii, and connect changes in fountain...
Authors
Julia Gestrich, David Fee, Robin Matoza, John J. Lyons, Hannah R. Dietterich, Valerie Cigala, Ulrich Kueppers, Matthew R. Patrick, Carolyn Parcheta
Toward next-generation lava flow forecasting: Development of a fast, physics-based lava propagation model Toward next-generation lava flow forecasting: Development of a fast, physics-based lava propagation model
During effusive volcanic crises, the eruption and propagation of lava flows pose a significant hazard to nearby populations, homes, and infrastructure. Consequently, timely lava flow forecasts are a critical need for volcano observatory and emergency management operations. Previous lava flow modeling tools are typically either too slow to produce timely forecasts, or are fast, but lack...
Authors
David M.R. Hyman, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew R. Patrick
Development, structure, and behavior of a perched lava channel at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, during 2007 Development, structure, and behavior of a perched lava channel at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, during 2007
Channelized lava flows are commonly produced during the early stages of basaltic eruptions. These channels usually maintain their morphology until the eruption ends or discharge is diverted. In some instances, narrower channels can roof over, developing into lava tubes. We report here on a channelized flow erupted at Kīlauea volcano in 2007 that evolved into a “perched lava channel”...
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Edward W. Llewellin, Matthew R. Patrick
Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi
Cataloguing damage and its correlation with hazard intensity is one of the key components needed to robustly assess future risk and plan for mitigation as it provides important empirical data. Damage assessments following volcanic eruptions have been conducted for buildings and other structures following hazards such as tephra fall, pyroclastic density currents, and lahars. However...
Authors
Elinor S. Meredith, Susanna F. Jenkins, Josh L. Hayes, Natalia I. Deligne, David Lallemant, Matthew R. Patrick, Christina A. Neal
Rainfall an unlikely trigger of Kilauea’s 2018 rift eruption Rainfall an unlikely trigger of Kilauea’s 2018 rift eruption
If volcanic eruptions could be forecast from the occurrence of some external process, it might be possible to better mitigate risk and protect lives and livelihoods. Farquharson and Amelung1 suggested that the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (ERZ) eruption of Kīlauea Volcano—the most destructive eruption in Hawai‘i in at least 200 years2—was triggered by extreme precipitation, which caused...
Authors
Michael Poland, Shaul Hurwitz, James P. Kauahikaua, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Kyle R. Anderson, Ingrid A. Johanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Christina A. Neal
Crater growth and lava-lake dynamics revealed through multitemporal terrestrial lidar scanning at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi Crater growth and lava-lake dynamics revealed through multitemporal terrestrial lidar scanning at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
Lava lake surfaces display the tops of active magma columns and respond to eruption variables such as magmatic pressure, convection, degassing, and cooling, as well as interactions with the craters that contain them. However, they are challenging to study owing to the numerous hazards that accompany these eruptions, and they are typically difficult to observe because the emitted gas...
Authors
Adam L. LeWinter, Steve W. Anderson, David C. Finnegan, Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr
Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea, Hawai’i, provides an excellent natural laboratory with which to test models of lava flow propagation. During early stages of eruption crises, the most useful lava flow propagation equations utilize readily determined parameters and require fewer a priori assumptions about future behavior of the flow. Here, we leverage the numerous
Authors
Rebecca deGraffenried, Julia E. Hammer, Hannah R. Dietterich, Ryan L. Perroy, Matthew R. Patrick, Thomas Shea
High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano produced large and destructive lava flows from the fissure 8 (Ahu ‘aila ‘au) vent with flow velocities up to 17 m s−1, highly variable effusion rates over both short (minutes) and long (hours) time scales, and a proximal channel or spillway that displayed flow features similar to open channel flow in river systems. Monitoring such dynamic vent and...
Authors
John J. Lyons, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew R. Patrick, David Fee
Onset and evolution of Kilauea’s 2018 flank eruption and summit collapse from continuous gravity Onset and evolution of Kilauea’s 2018 flank eruption and summit collapse from continuous gravity
Prior to the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (ERZ) eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, continuous gravimeters operated on the vent rims of ongoing eruptions at both the summit and Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. These instruments captured the onset of the 2018 lower ERZ eruption and the effects of lava withdrawal from both locales, providing constraints on the timing and style of activity and...
Authors
Michael Poland, Daniele Carbone, Matthew R. Patrick
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 29
Stochastic lava flow forecasting code used during the 2014-2015 Pāhoa lava flow crisis, Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i Stochastic lava flow forecasting code used during the 2014-2015 Pāhoa lava flow crisis, Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i
The 1983-2018 Puʻuʻōʻō eruption, on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano, consisted of many different episodes and several phases of lava flows threatening residential areas (Heliker and Mattox 2003; Orr and others 2015). One of these crises occurred in 2014-2015, when lava erupting from Puʻuʻōʻō advanced north of the rift zone, towards the town of Pāhoa (Poland and others 2016...
Thermal camera images of lava lake and crater filling activity at Puʻuʻōʻō, East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2011-2019 Thermal camera images of lava lake and crater filling activity at Puʻuʻōʻō, East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2011-2019
The 35-year-long Puʻuʻōʻō eruption, on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano, was the longest volcanic eruption on the Island of Hawaiʻi in the past 100 years (Wright and Klein 2014; Mulliken and others 2023). The eruption, whose vent area was focused at and around Puʻuʻōʻō cone, produced episodic fountaining in its initial few years followed by decades of effusive activity that created...
Timelapse camera and webcam images of the fissure 8 lava flow during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi Timelapse camera and webcam images of the fissure 8 lava flow during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, was one of the most destructive effusive eruptions worldwide in the past century, destroying over 700 structures (Neal and others, 2019; Meredith and others, 2022). Between May and September 2018, a total of 24 fissures opened, producing a lava flow field with an area of 36 km2. By the end of May, the eruption...
Thermal maps of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi Thermal maps of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano included both a large effusive eruption on the lower East Rift Zone and associated collapse and subsidence of the caldera floor at the summit (Anderson and others 2019; Neal and others 2019; Patrick and others 2020). Lava erupted from 24 fissures on the lower East Rift Zone over four months, with high effusion rates (>100 m3 s-1) often supplying lava...
Photogrammetry-derived digital elevation models and source images for an inactive perched lava lake formed at Pu‘u‘ō‘ō (Kīlauea) in 2014 Photogrammetry-derived digital elevation models and source images for an inactive perched lava lake formed at Pu‘u‘ō‘ō (Kīlauea) in 2014
Lava flow hazards are usually thought to end when the erupting vent becomes inactive, but this is not always the case. At Kīlauea in August 2014, a spiny ʻaʻā flow erupted from the levee of a crusted perched lava lake that had been inactive for a month, and the surface of the lava lake subsided as the flow advanced downslope over the following few days. Topography constructed from...
Thermal camera data for the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, 2019–2022 Thermal camera data for the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, 2019–2022
Following the 2018 collapses of the caldera floor at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano (Anderson and others, 2019; Neal and others, 2019), the enlarged and deepened depression hosted a variety of volcanic activity between 2019 and 2022. These events included an unprecedented water lake and two prolonged episodes of lava lake activity. This data release includes images from a stationary...
Elevation of the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, from 2009 to 2018 Elevation of the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, from 2009 to 2018
This data release includes measurements of the surface elevation of the lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, during the 2008-2018 summit eruption (Patrick and others, 2021). The data were measured by several instruments (laser rangefinder, webcams, lidar) and are compiled here to provide the most complete dataset yet available on the elevation of...
Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020 Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020
In 2018, a large effusive eruption on the lower flank of Kīlauea Volcano was associated with collapse and subsidence of the summit caldera floor (Neal and others, 2019). The bottom of Halemaʻumaʻu, a crater nested within the summit caldera, subsided by more than 500 m. In July 2019, water was observed ponding on the deepest part of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor and the water rose and...
Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
At 11:21 p.m. (Hawaii Standard Time [HST]) on November 27, 2022, Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawaiʻi started erupting from fissures at its summit caldera, Mokuʻāweoweo. This was followed shortly afterwards by the opening of a segment of fissures in the direction of the Southwest Rift Zone. These were mostly within the structural boundary of the caldera, so their location is...
Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2025-05-02) Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2025-05-02)
We depict changing eruptive features within the summit caldera of Kilauea volcano, Island of Hawai'i with rapid-response digital elevation models (DEMs) acquired since a series of caldera-filling effusive eruptions began on December 20, 2020. These eruptions follow the caldera collapse of 2018, with new lava progressively filling the approximately 1-cubic-kilometer pit that formed...
Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020 Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020
During 2018, Kilauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiii, had a large effusive eruption (~1 cubic kilometer of lava) on the lower East Rift Zone that caused widespread destruction (Neal and others, 2019; Dietterich and others, 2021). This lower flank eruption was accompanied by one of the largest collapses of the summit caldera in two hundred years, with portions of the caldera floor...
Crater geometry data for Puʻuʻōʻō, on Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone, in May 2018 Crater geometry data for Puʻuʻōʻō, on Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone, in May 2018
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption and accompanying summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, comprised one of the most impactful events on the volcano in the past 200 years, with hundreds of homes destroyed and major changes in the topography of the summit caldera. The opening stages of this eruptive sequence started on 30 April, when a magmatic dike began moving east from...
Filter Total Items: 76
Eruption of stagnant lava from an inactive perched lava lake Eruption of stagnant lava from an inactive perched lava lake
Lava flow hazards are usually thought to end when the erupting vent becomes inactive, but this is not always the case. At Kīlauea in August 2014, a spiny ʻaʻā flow erupted from the levee of a crusted perched lava lake that had been inactive for a month, and the surface of the lava lake subsided as the flow advanced downslope over the following few days. Topography constructed from...
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Michael H. Zoeller, Edward W. Llewellin, Matthew R. Patrick
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea: Insights, puzzles, and opportunities for volcano science The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea: Insights, puzzles, and opportunities for volcano science
The science of volcanology advances disproportionately during exceptionally large or well-observed eruptions. The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawai‘i) was its most impactful in centuries, involving an outpouring of more than one cubic kilometer of basalt, a magnitude 7 flank earthquake, and the volcano’s largest summit collapse since at least the nineteenth century. Eruptive...
Authors
Kyle R. Anderson, Tom Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Donald A. Swanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Brian Shiro, Christina A. Neal
Dynamics of the December 2020 ash-poor plume formed by lava-water interaction at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Dynamics of the December 2020 ash-poor plume formed by lava-water interaction at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
On 20 December 2020, after more than 2 years of quiescence at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, renewed volcanic activity in the summit crater caused boiling of the water lake over a period of ∼90 min. The resulting water-rich, electrified plume rose to 11–13 km above sea level, which is among the highest plumes on record for Kīlauea. Although conventional models would infer a high mass flux...
Authors
Ryan Cain Cahalan, Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Shaul Hurwitz, Adam B. Smith, Josef Dufek, Stephen A. Solovitz, Matthew R. Patrick, Jo Schmith, Carolyn Parcheta, Weston Thelen, Drew T. Downs
Lava fountain jet noise during the 2018 eruption of fissure 8 of Kīlauea volcano Lava fountain jet noise during the 2018 eruption of fissure 8 of Kīlauea volcano
Real-time monitoring is crucial to assess hazards and mitigate risks of sustained volcanic eruptions that last hours to months or more. Sustained eruptions have been shown to produce a low frequency (infrasonic) form of jet noise. We analyze the lava fountaining at fissure 8 during the 2018 Lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii, and connect changes in fountain...
Authors
Julia Gestrich, David Fee, Robin Matoza, John J. Lyons, Hannah R. Dietterich, Valerie Cigala, Ulrich Kueppers, Matthew R. Patrick, Carolyn Parcheta
Toward next-generation lava flow forecasting: Development of a fast, physics-based lava propagation model Toward next-generation lava flow forecasting: Development of a fast, physics-based lava propagation model
During effusive volcanic crises, the eruption and propagation of lava flows pose a significant hazard to nearby populations, homes, and infrastructure. Consequently, timely lava flow forecasts are a critical need for volcano observatory and emergency management operations. Previous lava flow modeling tools are typically either too slow to produce timely forecasts, or are fast, but lack...
Authors
David M.R. Hyman, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew R. Patrick
Development, structure, and behavior of a perched lava channel at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, during 2007 Development, structure, and behavior of a perched lava channel at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, during 2007
Channelized lava flows are commonly produced during the early stages of basaltic eruptions. These channels usually maintain their morphology until the eruption ends or discharge is diverted. In some instances, narrower channels can roof over, developing into lava tubes. We report here on a channelized flow erupted at Kīlauea volcano in 2007 that evolved into a “perched lava channel”...
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Edward W. Llewellin, Matthew R. Patrick
Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi
Cataloguing damage and its correlation with hazard intensity is one of the key components needed to robustly assess future risk and plan for mitigation as it provides important empirical data. Damage assessments following volcanic eruptions have been conducted for buildings and other structures following hazards such as tephra fall, pyroclastic density currents, and lahars. However...
Authors
Elinor S. Meredith, Susanna F. Jenkins, Josh L. Hayes, Natalia I. Deligne, David Lallemant, Matthew R. Patrick, Christina A. Neal
Rainfall an unlikely trigger of Kilauea’s 2018 rift eruption Rainfall an unlikely trigger of Kilauea’s 2018 rift eruption
If volcanic eruptions could be forecast from the occurrence of some external process, it might be possible to better mitigate risk and protect lives and livelihoods. Farquharson and Amelung1 suggested that the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (ERZ) eruption of Kīlauea Volcano—the most destructive eruption in Hawai‘i in at least 200 years2—was triggered by extreme precipitation, which caused...
Authors
Michael Poland, Shaul Hurwitz, James P. Kauahikaua, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Kyle R. Anderson, Ingrid A. Johanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Christina A. Neal
Crater growth and lava-lake dynamics revealed through multitemporal terrestrial lidar scanning at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi Crater growth and lava-lake dynamics revealed through multitemporal terrestrial lidar scanning at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
Lava lake surfaces display the tops of active magma columns and respond to eruption variables such as magmatic pressure, convection, degassing, and cooling, as well as interactions with the craters that contain them. However, they are challenging to study owing to the numerous hazards that accompany these eruptions, and they are typically difficult to observe because the emitted gas...
Authors
Adam L. LeWinter, Steve W. Anderson, David C. Finnegan, Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr
Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea, Hawai’i, provides an excellent natural laboratory with which to test models of lava flow propagation. During early stages of eruption crises, the most useful lava flow propagation equations utilize readily determined parameters and require fewer a priori assumptions about future behavior of the flow. Here, we leverage the numerous
Authors
Rebecca deGraffenried, Julia E. Hammer, Hannah R. Dietterich, Ryan L. Perroy, Matthew R. Patrick, Thomas Shea
High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano produced large and destructive lava flows from the fissure 8 (Ahu ‘aila ‘au) vent with flow velocities up to 17 m s−1, highly variable effusion rates over both short (minutes) and long (hours) time scales, and a proximal channel or spillway that displayed flow features similar to open channel flow in river systems. Monitoring such dynamic vent and...
Authors
John J. Lyons, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew R. Patrick, David Fee
Onset and evolution of Kilauea’s 2018 flank eruption and summit collapse from continuous gravity Onset and evolution of Kilauea’s 2018 flank eruption and summit collapse from continuous gravity
Prior to the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (ERZ) eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, continuous gravimeters operated on the vent rims of ongoing eruptions at both the summit and Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. These instruments captured the onset of the 2018 lower ERZ eruption and the effects of lava withdrawal from both locales, providing constraints on the timing and style of activity and...
Authors
Michael Poland, Daniele Carbone, Matthew R. Patrick