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Annual Deformation
Surveys Completed for Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes
Map showing direction and amount of
horizontal movement of GPS stations on Mauna Loa and Kilauea
volcanoes, Hawai`i. Click for larger-sized map and
explanation.
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For many years, scientists of the Hawaiian Volcano
Observatory have conducted annual surveys of benchmarks on Kilauea and
Mauna Loa in order to track how the volcanoes swell, shrink,
or otherwise change shape. In collaboration with scientists
from Stanford University, we recently completed several
different types of surveys to track vertical and
horizontal movements of the past year. The results show a pattern of
movement similar to that observed by
previous surveys.
Kilauea's summit subsides and south flank spreads
In the past year, the summit continued to subside at a maximum
rate of 7 cm/yr as magma moved from the summit reservoir to
the Pu`u `O`o vent. This short-term rate is a little slower
than the long-term rate of about 10 cm/yr since the eruption
began in 1983, but the results are not sufficiently different
to say that an important change has occurred. The south flank
moved seaward at
a maximum rate of 7 cm/yr, about the same as that for the
past several years. Details of summit
subsidence.
No change at Mauna Loa's summit
Very little to no deformation was measured at the summit of
Mauna Loa in the past year. The southeast flank
extended by 1-3 cm. Before 1993, the summit and upper flanks
of the volcano were all moving outward as magma moved into the
summit reservoir. Between 1993 and 2000, the summit area
subsided by about 7 cm. The reason for this slow subsidence is
not clear; nevertheless, the reservoir does not appear to be
inflating with new magma at this time. Details
of long-term deformation of Mauna Loa.
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Archive of previous
feature stories
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Snow atop Mauna Loa Volcano
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![Snow blankets summit of Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawai`i](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090109122548im_/http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/archive/spotlight_images/20020227-DAS_350.jpg)
Photograph by D.A. Swanson, 27 February 2002
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Snow adorns the upper 1.5 km (5,000 ft) of Mauna Loa Volcano. Rarely
does snow reach so far down the mountain. This
panorama photograph was taken from the summit area of
Kilauea's caldera near the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Click
on image for a photograph 800 pixels wide or here
for 1125 pixels wide.
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