Shallow outgassing changes disrupt steady lava lake activity, Kilauea Volcano

Abstract:

Persistent lava lakes are a testament to sustained magma supply and outgassing in basaltic systems, and the surface activity of lava lakes has been used to infer processes in the underlying magmatic system. At Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, the lava lake in Halema`uma`u Crater has been closely studied for several years with webcam imagery, geophysical, petrological and gas emission techniques. The lava lake in Halema`uma`u is now the second largest on Earth, and provides an unprecedented opportunity for detailed observations of lava lake outgassing processes. We observe that steady activity is characterized by continuous southward motion of the lake’s surface and slow changes in lava level, seismic tremor and gas emissions. This normal, steady activity can be abruptly interrupted by the appearance of spattering – sometimes triggered by rockfalls - on the lake surface, which abruptly shifts the lake surface motion, lava level and gas emissions to a more variable, unstable regime. The lake commonly alternates between this a) normal, steady activity and b) unstable behavior several times per day. The spattering represents outgassing of shallowly accumulated gas in the lake. Therefore, although steady lava lake behavior at Halema`uma`u may be deeply driven by upwelling of magma, we argue that the sporadic interruptions to this behavior are the result of shallow processes occurring near the lake surface. These observations provide a cautionary note that some lava lake behavior is not representative of deep-seated processes. This behavior also highlights the complex and dynamic nature of lava lake activity.