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Abstract. Lava flows present a significant natural hazard to communities around volcanoes and are typically slow-moving (<1 to 5 cm s−1) and laminar. Recent lava flows during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i, however, reached speeds as high as 11 m s−1 and were transitional to turbulent. The Kīlauea flows formed a complex network of braided channels departing from the classic rectangular channel geometry often employed by lava flow models. To investigate these extreme dynamics we develop a new lava flow model that incorporates nonlinear advection and a nonlinear expression for the fluid viscosity. The model makes use of novel discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite-element methods and resolves complex channel geometry through the use of unstructured triangular meshes. We verify the model against an analytic test case and demonstrate convergence rates of P+1/2 for polynomials of degree 𝒫. Direct observations recorded by unoccupied aerial systems (UASs) during the Kīlauea eruption provide inlet conditions, constrain input parameters, and serve as a benchmark for model evaluation.
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Complex staged emplacement of a basaltic lava: The example of the July 1974 flow of Kīlauea
Abstract Basaltic lava flows can be highly destructive. Forecasting the future path and/or behavior of an active lava flow is challenging because topography is often poorly constrained and lava has a complex rheology and emplacement history. Preserved lavas are an important source of information which, combined with observations of active flows, underpins conceptual models of lava flow emplacement. However, the value of preserved lavas is limited because pre-eruptive topography and, thus, syn-eruptive lava flow geometry are usually not known. Here, we use tree-mold data to constrain pre-eruptive topography and syn-eruptive lava flow geometry of the July 1974 flow of Kīlauea (USA). Tree molds, which are formed after advancing lava encloses standing trees, preserve the lava inundation height and the final preserved thickness of lava. We used data from 282 tree molds to reconstruct the temporal and spatial evolution of the ~ 2.1 km-long July 1974 flow. The tree mold dataset yields a detailed dynamic picture of staged emplacement, separated by intervals of ponding. In some ponded areas, flow depth during emplacement (~ 5 m) was twice the preserved thickness of the final lava (2–3 m). Drainage of the ponds led to episodic surges in flow advancement, decoupled from fluctuations in vent discharge rate. We infer that the final breakout occurred after the cessation of fountaining. Such complex emplacement histories may be common for pāhoehoe lavas at Kīlauea and elsewhere in situations where the terrain is of variable slope, and/or where lava is temporarily perched and stored.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2119838
- PAR ID:
- 10580480
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Science + Business Media
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Bulletin of Volcanology
- Volume:
- 87
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 1432-0819
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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