This situation provided unprecedented access to information for the team of researchers. The first of 24 fissures opened in early May, and the eruption continued for three months. The 2018 event included the first eruptive activity in Kīlauea’s lower East Rift Zone since 1960. “So, we are always trying to identify early indications of magma viscosity that could help forecast a volcano’s eruption style.” “But magma viscosity is usually only quantified well after an eruption, not in advance,” explained Diana Roman, lead author of the study and volcanologist at Carnegie Institution for Science. On the other hand, extrusion of more viscous magma results in slower-moving lava flows. Very viscous magmas are linked with more powerful explosions because they can block gas from escaping through vents, allowing pressure to build up inside the volcano’s plumbing system. In particular, the viscosity of this molten rock is a major factor in influencing how hazardous an eruption could be for nearby communities. The properties of the magma inside a volcano affect how an eruption will play out. Viscous magma linked with powerful explosions “The study is very unusual because it falls at the interface between two distinct disciplines in volcanology: seismology and studies of the viscosity (fluidity) of the molten rock,” said Houghton. (Photo credit: USGS/ Brian Shiro) A team of researchers, including University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology Professor Bruce Houghton, identified an indicator of magma viscosity that can be measured before an eruption, providing critical information to help understand possible future eruptions.
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