Tomorrow marks the two-year anniversary since Maunaloa, Earth’s largest active volcano, last erupted.
The event lasted for 12 days and didn’t cause any deaths or injuries or significant damage. Scientists heralded the event as a valuable opportunity to gather information about what causes volcanoes to erupt, intending to forecast them in Hawaiʻi and worldwide.
A new study suggests that a mineral found in volcanic rock could be the key to unlocking this mystery. Kendra Lynn, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, shared her experience during the 2022 eruption and her team’s research.
She said that she leverages the materials inside volcanic rocks as they are "kind of like tiny stopwatches."
"Olivine crystals are very common in Hawaiian lavas. If you take these little crystals that are about a millimeter or so in size, and you cut them in half, and you use microscopes and other laboratory technologies to look at what they're made of, you can start to see changes in elements," Lynn said.
Something she found most exciting was how she was able to use this crystal "to determine where the magma had been inside the volcano and how quickly it had moved prior to eruption."
From looking at the crystals, Lynn said that magma moved from one depth to another approximately 70 days before the November 2022 eruption.
However, she said this study at Maunaloa is just one of many that need to be done.
"We need to look at all of the recent eruptions in, you know, the past 200 years, and do the same type of study on these crystals, and then start to look for patterns. Because if there are patterns, if each eruption has these olivine crystals that tell the story of magma movement a few months prior to eruption, well that starts to say something important about the next eruption," she said.
Lynn said Maunaloa has been "quiet" after its previous eruption.
"I know Kīlauea erupts more frequently and potentially gets more attention, but Maunaloa is there and is certainly important," Lynn said. "I think the future of science on Maunaloa is really exciting and the goal, ultimately, is to leverage that science to better protect our communities here."
This interview aired on The Conversation on Nov. 26, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
