This week’s UH News Image of the Week is from the UH Hilo Maunakea Rangers.

The view of Kīlauea’s eruption from earlier this year as seen from Maunakea.

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Using a nearly 200-year record of lava chemistry from Kīlauea and Maunaloa, earth scientists from the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa and colleagues revealed that �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s two most active volcanoes share a source of magma within the Hawaiian plume. Their discovery was published in the .

“In the past, the distinct chemical compositions of lavas from Kīlauea and Maunaloa were thought to require completely separate magma pathways from the melt source in the mantle beneath each volcano to the surface where eruptions take place,” said Aaron Pietruszka, lead author of the study and associate professor in the in the UH Mānoa (SOEST). “Our latest research shows that this is incorrect. Melt from a shared mantle source within the Hawaiian plume may be transported alternately to Kīlauea or Maunaloa on a timescale of decades.”

From the mid-20th century to around 2010, Mauanloa was less active, whereas Kīlauea was highly active. During this time, the chemistry of lava from Kīlauea became more similar to typical lava from Maunaloa.

“We think this was caused by a change in the transport of mantle-derived melt from a shared source within the Hawaiian plume from Maunaloa to Kīlauea,” Pietruszka added. “In other words, each volcano iteratively becomes more active when it receives melt from the shared source in the mantle and this process causes measurable changes in lava chemistry.”

Since 2010, the research team has observed a change in lava chemistry at Kīlauea. This change suggests that melt from the shared source is now being diverted from Kīlauea to Maunaloa for the first time since the mid-20th century.

Maunaloa—the largest active volcano on Earth—erupted in 2022 after its longest known inactive period (~38 years). This eruptive hiatus at Maunaloa encompasses most of the ~35-year-long Puʻuʻōʻō eruption of neighboring Kīlauea, which ended in 2018 with a collapse of the summit caldera, an unusually large rift eruption, and lava fountains up to 260 feet tall.

The authors of the study emphasize that a long-term pattern of such opposite eruptive behavior suggests that a magmatic connection exists between these volcanoes. Additionally, this magmatic connection between Kīlauea and Maunaloa results in a broad correlation between changes in their lava chemistry.

“For example, during the late 19th century when Maunaloa was more active and Kīlauea was less active, the chemistry of lava from Kīlauea became more ‘unique’ and particular to compositions that are only observed at Kīlauea,” said Pietruszka. “We think this was caused by the transport of mantle-derived melt from the shared source of magma to Maunaloa.”

Forecasting future eruptions

Long-term forecasting of volcanic activity currently relies upon extrapolation of a volcano’s past eruption record.

“Our study suggests that monitoring of lava chemistry is a potential tool that may be used to forecast the eruption rate and frequency of these adjacent volcanoes on a timescale of decades,” Pietruszka said. “A future increase in eruptive activity at Maunaloa is likely if the chemistry of lava continues to change at Kīlauea.”

The researchers will continue to monitor the changes in lava chemistry at Kīlauea to determine whether their predictions for future changes in eruptive behavior at these volcanoes is correct.

–By Marcie Grabowski

This week’s UH News Image of the Week is from the John A. Burns School of Medicine Willed Body Program Administrator Mari Kuroyama-Ton.

Kuroyama-Ton shared: “This photo was taken right outside the Volcano House Restaurant as we had dinner reservations there on Thursday night, January 2nd. We made a family trip for dinner there as it was my girls’ (a first and 4th grader) first time seeing the eruption. We lucked out that it was fountaining at the time of our visit.”

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University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa researchers assessed an unprecedented 120 years of data from Kīlauea volcano on �鶹��ý Island, uncovering, for the first time, century-spanning patterns of deformation and stress changes. They focused on the 1975 magnitude 7.7 Kalapana earthquake, which also resulted in a 20-foot high tsunami. The study was published in the .

They discovered that the Kalapana earthquake significantly altered the region’s state of stress and deformation. Prior to 1975, in the location where the large earthquake originated, there was no evidence of slip, a movement where two rock masses move past each other.

“This finding suggests that the region was likely frictionally locked and slowly accumulating stress over time leading up to the rupture,” said lead author Lauren Ward Yong, who conducted this study as part of her doctoral dissertation in the UH Mānoa (SOEST). “Furthermore, we observed that Kīlauea’s south flank, a geologically active region stretching from the volcano’s summit toward the coastline, experienced greater and more complex displacement [surface motion] prior to the Kalapana earthquake than after.”

Yong and co-authors explored both the deformation and stress changes of the volcano from 1898–2018 by analyzing six different datasets. Their analysis encompassed 338,396 earthquake observations and more than 15,000 measurements of surface motion, or displacements, to construct a computational model replicating the observed displacements and stress before, during and after the large 1975 Kalapana earthquake.

“Deciphering Kīlauea’s history deepens our understanding of volcanic and seismic hazards,” said Yong. “It offers critical insights into how stress evolves in volcanic systems, guiding our ability to anticipate and interpret future earthquakes and magmatic events.”

Enhancing hazard preparedness

The study highlights the hazard potential of the décollement, the major fault zone beneath Kīlauea volcano where two rock masses are moving past each other, which continuously drives the volcano southward and poses risks of large earthquakes coupled with complex volcanic activity within the region.

Researchers found the average slip was reduced from 10 centimeters per year before the 1975 earthquake, to 4 centimeters per year afterward. These variations in slip and stress distributions along the décollement point to changes in mechanical properties, such as friction, that influence the region’s seismic and magmatic activity over time.

“�鶹��ý’s communities live alongside active volcanoes and face significant seismic risks,” said Yong. “This research enhances hazard preparedness and reinforces UH’s commitment to advancing science for the safety and well-being of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s residents and ecosystems by shedding light on past significant events.”

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–By Marcie Grabowski

Between 59 million to 51 million years ago, Earth experienced dramatic warming periods of both gradual warming that stretched over millions of years and sudden warming events. In a study in the , University of Utah and University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa geoscientists revealed sea surface temperatures were closely linked with levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) during sudden warming periods known as hyperthermals.

Further, the gradual warming was linked to CO2 from volcanic sources, whereas organic or methane-derived CO2 was linked to rapid warming.

“Volcanic sources of CO2 are usually smaller and act over long time scales (millions of years), whereas methanogenic or organic sources can have higher rates of input and act over shorter time scales (decades to millennia),” said Richard Zeebe, study co-author and professor in the UH Mānoa . “The higher rates are relevant to our future because human activities are releasing carbon at unprecedented rates compared to natural sources over the past 56 million years or more.”

Today, human activities associated with fossil fuels are releasing carbon four to 10 times more rapidly than occurred during these ancient hyperthermal events. However, the total amount of carbon released during the ancient events is similar to the range projected for human emissions, giving researchers a glimpse of what could be in store for us and future generations.

Learning from the past

The study suggests emissions during two ancient hyperthermals are similar enough to today’s anthropogenic climate change to help scientists forecast its consequences. The findings further provide case studies to test carbon cycle feedback mechanisms and sensitivities critical for predicting anthropogenic climate change as humans continue pouring greenhouse gases into the atmosphere on an unprecedented scale in the planet’s history.

The research team analyzed microscopic fossils—recovered in drilling cores taken from an undersea plateau in the Pacific—to characterize surface ocean chemistry at the time the shelled single-cell organisms were alive. Using a statistical model, they reconstructed sea surface temperatures and atmospheric CO2 levels over a 6-million-year period that covered two hyperthermals, the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (56 million years ago) and Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (54 million years ago).

“These events might represent a mid- to worst-case scenario kind of case study,” said lead author Dustin Harper, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Utah. “We can investigate them to answer what’s the environmental change that happens due to this carbon release?”

The findings indicate that as atmospheric levels of CO2 rose, so too did global temperatures. During the hyperthermals, no ice sheets covered the poles and ocean surface temperatures were in the mid-90s degrees Fahrenheit.

Portions of this content are courtesy of the .

Throughout her academic career, Natalia Gauer Pasqualon has had a passion for understanding the dynamics of volcanic systems and their implications for hazard assessment and mitigation. As a graduate student at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (SOEST), she studies volcanic deposits and active eruptions, and develops methodologies that improve prediction and response to volcanic hazards.

“Science exists to solve problems within society, so it is a priority for me that our community is aware of what’s happening at the university,” said Pasqualon, who is pursuing her doctoral degree in the SOEST . “Engaging with community members demystifies the research process and makes science accessible to everyone.”

Pasqualon was selected for the semester-long SOEST outreach and communications trainee program, through which she shared her knowledge, curiosity and passion for volcanoes and Hawaiian geology with hundreds of students and community members. During the traineeship, she offered workshops, hands-on activities, and presentations at Oʻahu elementary and high schools, and the Waikīkī Aquarium’s Mauka to Makai community event.

“Making science enjoyable and relatable helps break down barriers and encourages learning,” Pasqualon said. “This transparency builds trust and allows the community to see the real-world applications of our work. And, by offering interesting activities and engaging with kids we spark their curiosity and enthusiasm for science, inspiring the next generation.”

Making science enjoyable and relatable helps break down barriers and encourages learning

Reciprocal learning

Pasqualon appreciates that learning and sharing goes two ways when interacting with students and community members.

“Building strong relationships with the community starts with these types of interactions,” she said. “Local knowledge and perspectives can provide valuable insights and incorporating community input into our research ensures that our work is relevant and beneficial to society.”

Another significant benefit, she said, is that she was invited to become more immersed in the local community.

“While waiting for other students to arrive at Nānākuli High School, I had a wonderful cultural exchange with one student,” Pasqualon shared. “They were preparing an ʻahu ʻula, a feathered cape traditionally worn by aliʻi royals and high chiefs, to welcome a teacher returning after a period away. I was amazed to learn from this local student about the ʻahu ʻula and how they put it together. It was definitely a highlight of my trainee experience.”

Funding for the SOEST Outreach and Communications Trainee program was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF/GEO #2304691) through a Catalyst Award for Science Advancement.

–By Marcie Grabowski

Oʻahu high school and community college students explored �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s volcanoes and their hazards through a combination of field experiences and hands-on classroom activities. The week-long experience was offered by University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa and �鶹��ý Pacific University Earth scientists in summer 2023.

“The goal of the program was to connect the local students with Hawaiian geology and hopefully inspire them to pursue a path in the geosciences,” said Aaron Pietruszka, program co-instructor and associate professor in the at UH ��ā�ԴDz�’s (SOEST).

“We hoped to spark an interest in local geology by sharing information about the origins of the Hawaiian Islands and the volcanic and sedimentary processes that created the topography we see on Oʻahu,” said Reed Mershon, an Earth sciences graduate student who was an assistant instructor.

The students, 15 from Oʻahu high schools and one from , participated in field trips and interactive classroom activities that brought to life the science and hazards of volcanoes.

One student, upon walking around the Lānaʻi lookout on Oʻahu, said, “I’ve passed by this place a million times and never thought about how it got there. It’s so cool to finally learn how and why Oʻahu looks the way it does.”

Lānaʻi Lookout is a volcaniclastic (rock that contains volcanic material) deposit consisting of several ash layers deposited by nearby vents—the students were able to observe the variations in the ash layers, indicating the dynamic eruptive conditions.

The instructors shared potential educational pathways and careers in geosciences. In an effort to include and welcome students who are from underrepresented groups in STEM fields. This program looked at volcanology with an Indigenous viewpoint.

“We connected the storytelling and history of the Hawaiian Islands with the local geology,” said Mershon.

Current activity, ancient processes

Through the National Science Foundation-funded project, the research team recently assembled what is likely the most complete collection of samples from the Emperor Seamounts, those to the north of the Northwestern Hawaiian Ridge seamounts. Some of the lava samples from the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain are extremely old—as old as 80 million years.

Mershon brought in a few samples for the students to observe and touch. After seeing a 45-million-year-old lava from Koko Seamount, one student said, “But wait, this looks just like the rocks near my house!”

“The rocks near their house and the rocks from these seamounts are extremely similar,” said Mershon. “It was really satisfying to see the student make this connection and realize that the current volcanic processes we see on �鶹��ý Island are the same processes that created the ancient lava.”

The program will be offered again in summer 2024. To be notified when the application period for the program opens, email apietrus@hawaii.edu.

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The atmospheric flow over the tropical Pacific Ocean, termed the “Pacific Walker Circulation,” is changing, with important implications for El Niño and La Niña (cold and warm states of the tropical Pacific) events, according to a study published in by an international team of researchers. As a result, El Niño and La Niña events that persist for multiple years may become more common, which can exacerbate the associated risks of drought, fire, rains and floods.

“The tropical Pacific has an outsized influence on global climate,” said Sloan Coats, study co-author and assistant professor in the in the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa . “Understanding how it responds to volcanic eruptions, anthropogenic [man-made] aerosols and greenhouse gas emissions is fundamental to confidently predicting climate variability and projecting future climate in �鶹��ý and around the globe.”

The team used data from ice cores, trees, lakes, corals and caves to investigate Pacific Ocean weather and climate over the past 800 years. This allowed them to compare the Pacific Walker Circulation—the atmospheric part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation and a major influence on global weather—before the human-caused rise in greenhouse gases and after.

The scientists observed that the length of time for the Pacific Walker Circulation to switch between El Niño-like and La Niña-like phases has slowed over the industrial era.

“We set out to find out whether greenhouse gases had affected the Pacific Walker Circulation,” said Georgy Falster, lead author of the study and research fellow at the ARC (Australian Research Council) Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes. “We found that the overall strength hasn’t changed yet, but instead, the year-to-year behavior is different.”

Volcanoes play a role

Volcanic eruptions have the power to impact climate on a global scale, but not every volcano has such impact. Previous research has shown that when there is a strong tropical volcanic eruption, the world tends to get cooler.

Volcanic eruptions were found to cause an El Niño-like weakening of the Pacific Walker Circulation, according to the researchers’ data analysis and reconstructions of past climate.

“This is not happening by chance. It’s something that is quite robust,” said co-author Bronwen Konecky, an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis. “We see a consistent response in the atmosphere, whereas others have not seen the same response in ocean temperatures. And that’s either because the atmospheric response is stronger or it’s easier to detect.”

“Our study provides a long-term context for a fundamental component of the atmosphere-ocean system in the tropics,” said Coats, whose expertise is Common Era paleoclimate, which focuses on climate variability over the last 2,000 years, and how and why the tropical Pacific is changing with the climate. “Understanding how the Pacific Walker Circulation is affected by climate change will enable communities across the Pacific and beyond to better prepare for the challenges they may face in the coming decades.”

Kamaʻehuakanaloa (formerly Lōʻihi Seamount, which was renamed in July 2021 by the �鶹��ý Board on Geographic Names), a submarine Hawaiian volcano located about 20 miles off the south coast of �鶹��ý Island, has erupted at least five times in the last 150 years, according to new research led by Earth scientists at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa. For the first time, scientists were able to estimate the ages of the most recent eruptions of Kamaʻehu, as well as the ages of eight older eruptions at this volcano going back about 2,000 years. The findings were published in .

Hawaiian volcanoes are thought to transition through a series of growth stages. Kamaʻehu is currently in the earliest submarine “pre-shield” stage of growth, whereas the active neighboring volcano Kīlauea is in its main shield-building stage.

“Kamaʻehu is the only active and exposed example of a pre-shield Hawaiian volcano,” said Aaron Pietruszka, lead author of the study and associate professor in the at UH ��ā�ԴDz�’s (SOEST). “On the other Hawaiian volcanoes, this early part of the volcanic history is covered by the great outpouring of lava that occurs during the shield stage. Thus, there is great interest in learning about the growth and evolution of Kamaʻehu.”

��������ʻ����’s eruption history

Previously, the only known and confirmed eruption of Kamaʻehu was one that occurred in 1996, an event that was only discovered because it coincided with a large swarm of earthquakes that were detected remotely by seismometers on �鶹��ý Island.

“Seismometers can only be used to detect the ongoing active eruptions of submarine volcanoes because earthquakes are transient,” said Pietruszka. “In order to determine the ages of older eruptions at Kamaʻehu, we took a different approach. We used a mass spectrometer to measure tiny amounts of the isotope radium-226 in pieces of quenched glassy lava that were sampled from the seafloor outcrops of Kamaʻehu using a submersible.”

Magma naturally contains radium-226, which radioactively decays at a predictable rate. Pietruzska and co-authors used the amount of radium-226 in each sample to infer the approximate time elapsed since the lava was erupted on the seafloor, that is, the eruption age of the sample.

Pietruszka started this investigation many years ago as a postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science, after finishing his doctoral degree in Earth science from SOEST. Once he returned to UH Mānoa in 2019, he got access to submersible dive videos and photos around Kamaʻehu and had the information he needed to finish connecting the dots.

“The submersible dive images and videos provided independent confirmation of our estimates of eruption ages,” said Pietruszka. “The lavas with the freshest appearance also had the most radium-226, and vice versa for the lavas with the ‘older’ appearance, that is, fractured and broken, and/or covered with marine sediment. I was surprised to discover that Kamaʻehu had erupted five times within the last ~150 years, which implies a frequency of ~30 years between eruptions at this volcano. This is much slower than at Kīlauea, which erupts almost continuously (with infrequent pauses of only a few years).”

Chemical changes in lava

The chemistry of the lava erupted from Hawaiian volcanoes changes over time. The new eruption ages for the lavas from Kamaʻehu, coupled with measurements of lava chemistry, reveal that the timescale of variation in lava chemistry at this pre-shield volcano is about 1,200 years. In contrast, Kīlauea lava chemistry changes over a timescale of only a few years to decades, with a complete cycle over about 200 years.

“We think that the origin of this difference is related to the position of the two volcanoes over the Hawaiian hotspot,” said Pietruszka. “This is an area of Earth’s mantle that is rising toward the surface—a ‘mantle plume’ that ultimately melts to form the magma that supplies Hawaiian volcanoes. Models and other isotope data from thorium-230 suggest that the center of a mantle plume should rise faster than its margin. Our results—specifically, the factor of six longer timescale of variation in lava chemistry at Kamaʻehu—provides independent confirmation of this idea.”

The research team hopes to better understand how Hawaiian volcanoes work from their earliest growth stages to their full, and frequently active, maturity to help them understand the deep controls on volcanic eruptions that initiate within the mysterious, upwelling mantle plume under the Hawaiian hotspot.

–By Marcie Grabowski

To prepare ground for a new U.S Geological Survey (USGS) facility that will monitor volcanoes and support conservation science, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland attended a ground blessing and visited with students on June 28. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz and USGS Director David Applegate also attended.

The facility, which will be located on the UH Hilo campus, will house the USGS and the USGS .

“We selected this location because of its unique qualities and partnership opportunities,” Applegate said. “One quality in particular that is critical to our future success is access to a very precious resource: students who can become our next-generation workforce, helping bring science to bear on some of the most challenging issues facing our nation and the planet.”

The ceremony, called a kīpaepae, was coordinated by UH personnel. The kīpaepae included USGS and university staff and students, and focused on coming together in the new location.

“UH Hilo has a long and rewarding relationship with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, and I am excited for the additional opportunities their presence on campus will have for research partnerships and student internships,” said UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin. “Working side-by-side with professionals in the field is an invaluable complement to the education students receive at our university.”

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitors and assesses hazards from active volcanoes and earthquakes in �鶹��ý, providing important science for emergency managers, scientists and local communities. The observatory was previously located in �鶹��ý Volcanoes National Park, near the active volcanoes of Kīlauea, Mauna Loa, Lōʻihi and Hualālai. The observatory’s previous facility was irreparably damaged during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.

The USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center conducts research to support management and conservation of biological resources in �鶹��ý and other Pacific locations. This includes scientific studies of imperiled species, invasive species and plant diseases such as Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death.

“Partnership and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do. I’m so excited about the collaborations that will be formed in this facility between USGS scientists and personnel, the brilliant faculty and the students who have already accomplished so much,” said Haaland. “As we celebrate this facility today, we celebrate the enduring relationship it represents for the Department of the Interior and the community at large, as well as the benefits this partnership will bring long after our time doing this important work is done.”

Construction of the facility is estimated to be completed in late 2025.