Scientists have made Hawaii’s most active volcano in an unprecedented discovery. Researchers with the U.S. The Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed last week that the Kilauea volcano of Hawaii’s summit crater, which they say is “unusual,” has never been found in a pond of water.
USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) Scientists have received a tip after receiving an abnormal discovery of a volcano crater in public water, according to HVO scientist Emeritus Don Swanson.Swanson, in a blog post on the USGS, found that a friend of his had received a photo from a helicopter pilot who flew over the volcano and what appeared to be a green pool of water “about as large as a pickup truck.” ” More photos of the apparent flyover than a flyover.
Another helicopter in a passenger also caught a mysterious green feature of a glimpse and posted a photo of it on social media, Swanson said. That’s enough for HVO researchers to take a look at themselves.HVO scientists flew over the summit of Kīlauea last Thursday and they saw reflections from the green pond at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u, Swanson reported — “the smoking gun for water,” as he put it.
Although scientists remain unsure as to what the water may bring, they are aware that water mixing with lava can create explosive eruptions.With the presence of water confirmed, HVO scientists can now start thinking about the implications of water in the crater. Until they better understand where the water is coming from, they say it is impossible to understand its significance.
The researchers aren’t exactly certain what will happen next, but Swanson told The Associate Press in an interview that one possibility is that lava could slowly heat up the groundwater and eventually create a new lava lake. Lava could also interact with the water table and create small explosions.“The other possibility is that magma rises rapidly,” Swanson said told the AP. “That could produce a larger explosion.”
The pond has already grown slightly in size and depth between the dates of July 25, when it was first noticed, and Aug 1. The two pictures below show an “x” marking the same rock in both photos for comparison.
The pond is situated at about 1,722 feet (525 meters) elevation and deep inside of a crater. The inaccessible location of the water makes it impossible to see the pond from most parts of the crater rim, although one potential viewpoint will be examined in the future, Swanson said.If that viewpoint shows the water, USGS will install a webcam, with permission from the National Park Service, to monitor the new pond. If not, remote sensing could be another option for continued observations.
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