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Please send questions, comments and photo requests to Jade Boyd, jadeboyd@rice.edu or (713) 348-6775, or Lindsey Fielder, lfielder@rice.edu or (713) 348-6772.
Kilauea slope failure
Geologists are studying whether seismic and tectonic forces are creating
the potential for a catastrophic landslide on the southeast shore of the big
island of Hawaii, near Kilauea volcano. New research from a team of researchers
from Rice University, the University of Hawaii and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research
Institute (MBARI) indicates that debris left over from the last catastrophic
landslide on Kilauea — 25,000-50,000 years ago — is forming a buffer
that stabilizes the Hilina slump, a 10-by-15 mile section of Kilauea that
is partially detached from the seaward flank of the volcano. The findings
are based on a comprehensive analysis of two offshore seismic and seafloor
mapping surveys conducted in 1998 by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
and MBARI.
The following diagrams illustrate what happened in the most recent catastrophic
landslide on Kilauea. That involved a detached piece of the mountain ( yellow)
that was similar in size to the Hilina slump ( pink) and located immediately
to its northeast, in the area marked "central embayment." When that
section of the volcano slid away, it settled in a debris field ( blue) beneath
the ocean at the base of Kilauea. As Kilauea grew through volcanism and slid
oceanward due to tectonic forces, this debris field piled up, much like snow
piles up in front of a snowplow. The result is a broad, bench-like, submarine
structure called the "outer bench," which sits at the foot of the
mountain, about 15-20 miles off the coast. The downslope edge of the Hilina
slump now impinges on the outer bench, reducing the likelihood of catastrophic
detachment of Hilina.
This image shows several cut-away views into the interior of Kilauea volcano today, based on interpretations of the marine seismic reflection data used for this study.
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