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| Pū`uʻōʻo | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pū`uʻōʻo |
| Location | Hawaiʻi Island, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Puna and Kīlauea rift zone |
| Type | Shield volcano vent |
Pū`uʻōʻo Pū`uʻōʻo was a long-lived eruptive vent on the east rift zone of Kīlauea on Hawaiʻi Island that produced extensive lava flows from 1983 until 2018. The vent influenced landscapes within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, altered coastal margins at Kahuku and Kalamaʻula, and figured in discussions involving United States Geological Survey, National Park Service, and State of Hawaii agencies. Scientists from institutions such as University of Hawaii at Mānoa, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and international collaborators studied its behavior, while cultural practitioners, landowners, and visitors engaged with its changing terrain.
The vent occupied the middle east rift zone of Kīlauea adjacent to features like Mokuʻāweoweo summit caldera and the Hilina Pali escarpment, set within the broader volcanic province of Hawaiian Islands. Geologically it was part of the Hawaiian hotspot-generated shield volcano complex, rooted in mantle plume processes studied alongside Mauna Loa and Loihi Seamount. The local substrate included pāhoehoe and ʻāʻa lava morphologies, ʻaʻā fields near Prince Kuhio Park, and tephra cones similar to those at Puʻu Koaʻe and cinder cones elsewhere on the island. Tectonic context invoked interactions with the Pacific Plate motion and stress regimes mapped by InSAR, GPS networks, and seismic arrays maintained by IRIS and USGS.
The vent began eruptive activity in 1983, producing persistent lava lakes and fountains that built an elongated crater complex, comparable in persistence to historic vents such as Mokuʻāweoweo and eruptions recorded during the 1790 event. Episodic high-effusion episodes generated channelized flows that reached the coastline, comparable in scale to flows from Mauna Ulu and later to events at Holuhraun in Iceland. The 1983–2018 sequence included rapid vent migration, episodic collapse events, and interactions with summit processes culminating in the 2018 east rift zone intrusion and large summit collapse that reflected mechanisms discussed in studies by Thomas A. Jaggar, Don Swanson, and modern volcanologists at USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Petrological work linked magma compositions to MORB-like basaltic sources and fractional crystallization paths analyzed with methods used by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Smithsonian Institution.
Flows from the vent destroyed residential subdivisions in Kalapana, affected infrastructure like Chain of Craters Road, and altered marine entry points at locations visited by Kahuku and Kaimū Bay communities. Hazards included fast-moving ʻaʻā flows, fume hazards at laze plumes studied alongside National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration teams, volcanic gas emissions like sulfur dioxide monitored with instruments from NASA and EPA, and thermal threats mapped with airborne platforms from Hawaii County emergency services. Economic and social consequences engaged stakeholders including Hawaii County, Hawaiian Electric Industries, insurance entities, and non-governmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy in restoration and hazard mitigation planning.
Continuous monitoring used seismic networks, gas spectrometers, ground deformation instruments, and remote sensing from Landsat, ASTER, MODIS, and aerial LiDAR surveys conducted by USGS and NASA collaborators. Studies integrated geodetic data from GPS stations maintained by University of Hawaii researchers, InSAR imagery from JAXA and ESA satellites, and petrological analyses with electron microprobe facilities at University of Cambridge and California Institute of Technology-affiliated labs. Collaborative research involved institutions including National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, American Geophysical Union meeting presentations, and peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research.
The vent and its flows were entwined with Hawaiian cultural landscapes, sacred sites associated with Pele (deity), and customary practices observed by practitioners from Hawaiian sovereignty movement circles, ʻohana, and kūpuna. Land tenure issues intersected with property claims under Kamehameha I legacy contexts, Hawaii State Land Board jurisdiction, and the Kuleana Act-era parcel histories managed by county cadastral records. Management involved coordination among Bureau of Land Management-adjacent agencies, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park authorities, and private landowners including families in Kalapana and lessees operating in subdivision zones.
Public access shifted over time with closures enforced by National Park Service, Hawaii County Emergency Management Agency, and USGS advisories when flows, gas emissions, or collapses posed hazards. Visitor information was disseminated through channels like Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau, park visitor centers, and academic outreach from University of Hawaii Hilo and Hawai‘i Volcanoes Observatory programs. Safe viewing sites, trail conditions, and photography guidelines aligned with rules under National Park Service regulations and county ordinances; prospective visitors were advised to consult official updates from USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and Hawaii County before travel.
Category:Volcanoes of Hawaii