{"id":107384,"date":"2019-12-05T16:37:39","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T02:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=107384"},"modified":"2019-12-05T16:43:43","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T02:43:43","slug":"gansecki-lava-research-in-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/12\/05\/gansecki-lava-research-in-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Science<\/em> features UH<\/abbr> Hilo professor\u2019s groundbreaking lava research"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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A panoramic view of fissure 7 from the intersection of Leilani and Makamae Streets in the Leilani Estates subdivision, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island. This photo was taken at 06:01 a.m. local time, on 5\/5\/18. (Photo credit: USGS<\/abbr>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A team of scientists led by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo<\/a> geology department had its most recent research on the 2018 K\u012blauea eruption featured in the December 6 issue of Science<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Cheryl Gansecki<\/strong>, UH<\/abbr> Hilo geology affiliate faculty, is lead author on “The tangled tale of K\u012blauea\u2019s 2018 eruption as told by geochemical monitoring<\/a>,” which examines changes in lava chemistry that reflect its magma history and can affect eruptive behavior, but are normally not studied until after an eruption is over. Co-authors include Steven Lundblad<\/strong> and Ken Hon<\/strong> (UH<\/abbr> Hilo), R. Lopaka Lee and Carolyn Parcheta (USGS<\/abbr>-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory) and Thomas Shea<\/strong> (UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa).<\/p>\n

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Cheryl Gansecki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“We used rapid energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis to measure diagnostic elements in lava samples within a few hours of collection during the 2018 K\u012blauea eruption,” explained Gansecki. “The geochemical data can give us lava temperature, which affects viscosity and therefore how fast lava can flow. We were able to notify the monitoring teams of changing lava temperatures in advance of changing hazards during the eruption.<\/p>\n

“We also identified, in near-real time, interactions between older, colder, stored magma leftover from previous east rift zone eruptions and hotter magma delivered during dike emplacement,” she added.<\/p>\n

Their study suggests that at least two bodies of stored magma were forced to the surface, including the first known eruption of andesite (a volcanic rock) on K\u012blauea, and that magma from these bodies mixed with the newer intruding magma. By analyzing the composition of crystals carried in the magma, they were also able to identify the presence of a much hotter component that had to come from deep in the summit magma or rift system.<\/p>\n