HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0560.000 2018-2020 J Z�..oir
Maile Medeiros David o,`'.Y �' Phone: (808) 323-4277
Council District 6 ° ''�' Fax: (808) 329-4786
Portion N. S. Kona/Ka`u/Volcano * r Email: maile.david@hawaiicounty.gov
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HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL
County of Hawai`i
West Hawai`i Civic Center, Bldg. A
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy. -
Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i 96740
DATE: October 17, 2019 _
TO: Aaron Chung, Council Chair
And Members of the Hawaii County Council r
FROM: �~ vlaile David, Council Member
Council District 6
SUBJECT: U.S. Geological Survey/Civil Defense Presentation regarding the water lake in
Halema`uma`u Crater
I hereby request 45 minutes for a presentation by the U.S. Geological Survey and Civil Defense
relating to the source and accumulation of water within Halema`uma`u Crater.
Please place on the appropriate committee for our Hilo Committee Meetings scheduled for
November 5, 2019.
Mahalo a nui loa.
MD/dmm
cc: Laura Murashige
Comm. N
Serving the Interests of the People of Our Island Ref. To:
Hawaii County Is an Equal Opportunity Provider And Employer Ref. 1)ate OCT 2 2 2019
Water IaI<e int e
Halema ' uma ' u crater
November 5, 2019
Presented by Tina Neal
Prepared by Matt Patrick and Jim Kauahikaua
: USGS
science/or a changing world
Recent airborne image of Halema`uma`u
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Recent view from the west caldera rim
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Water pond first observed July 25 Timelapse sequence:
August 6-September 8
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<10 m (33 ft) wide
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58 m
(190 ft)
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Water level is rising gradually, suggesting
w groundwater seepage, not surface runoff
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{ 40 feet deep
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15 cm/day
Q - 6 inches/day
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07/31 08/14 08/28 09/11 09/25 10/09 10/23
Date (MM/DD) in 2019 � USGS
September •
science/or a changing world
Before 2018: Lava lake phase
Keller well Halema`uma`u
lava
lake
water table water table
� "steam sleeve"
X41
not to scale
USGS
science for a changing world
After 2018 eruption: water table begins to seep back
Keller well Halema`uma`u
600 m
(-2000 ft)
r
not to scale
Mi USGS
science for a changing world
Now: water table is at bottom of Halema`uma`u
Keller well Halema`uma`u
water table water
pond
not to scale
: USGS
science for a changing world
Coming months: continued rise to equilibrium
Keller well Halema`uma`u
water
pond
water table
not to scale
: USGS
science for a changing world
Nearby water table elevation is about 65 m (210 ft) higher than current pond level
Water level in pond might be able to rise this high a: USGS
science for a changing world
The water pond is hot, and heated by the magmatic system
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Water surface temperature is about 70 C (158 F) — consistent over past month ` U S G S
science for a changing world
No detectable signs of imminent unrest at the summit
• Currently, the water pond is stable, with a slow and consistent rise in water
level, and no obvious changes in color or surface activity
• Ongoing inflation indicates that the summit magma chamber continues to
steadily recharge, and magma remains deep in the system
• Low rates of SO2 emission (45 tonnes per day), but some sulfur is being
absorbed by the pond (and groundwater)
• Seismicity is elevated (compared to pre-2018) but has been relatively steady
in recent months
: USGS
science/or a changing world
Implications for hazards
At Kilauea and many other volcanoes, magma interacting with water can trigger explosive activity
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Figure 2:Projectile Zone for the 1924 eruption at Kilauea. Dots are individual projectiles between X25 and
>150 cm in diameter Collectively, they define a hazard zone of extreme risk with a radius of
approximately 1 km (0.6 miles). Orange color indicates post-1924 lava flows, which bury any earlier
ballistic rocks. Ballistic rocks fell in the white area just southeast of the crater but cannot be distinguished ' USGS
today from older rocks owing to human activity after 1924.
science/or a changing world
Implications for hazards
0.8-1 .6,,' 00uter isopach,
5 cm
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0.2-0.7
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0.3-0.4
0 10
kilometers
"mere-film"
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Figure 3:Ashfall Zone for 1924. The red line encloses the large and complex region of ashfall. Numbers
are thicknesses measured by Thomas Jaggar soon after the 1924 eruption. Units are centimeters. We
know that in fact the Ashfall Zone was much larger than indicated here as reports indicate that ash was
dispersed northward, as far as North Nilo. An isopach is a line of equal ash thickness. ` UsGs
science for a changing world
Implications for hazards
• In Kilauea's geologic record, there is a long history of larger explosions at
the summit, that affected the entire summit region.
• Some of these explosions are thought to be triggered by rapidly rising
magma interacting with surface water, but the exact conditions that
produced the explosive behavior are not clear
H - _
_ 3
: USGS
science for a changing world
Implications for hazards
• Most likely, explosive activity would be preceded by detectable
precursors, such as rapid inflation, or increased seismicity, that indicates
magma rising
• However, small gas-driven explosions can occur at volcanic lakes without
warning and cannot be ruled out
: USGS
science/or a changing world
HVO monitoring of the water pond and summit
Webcam monitoring Near-daily water level measurements Regular thermal measurements
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Near-daily visual observations Routine overflights Seismic, deformation, gas monitoring
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science fora changing world
Direct water sampling is being planned
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• Water chemistry will tell us the origin of the water, and how much sulfur is being absorbed
by the pond
• It will provide a chemical baseline to compare against any future changes ` USGs
science for a changing world