New USGS Data Release featuring laser rangefinder measurements at Kīlauea summit
The surface elevation of lava lakes is an important parameter that can provide insight on the underlying magma reservoir pressure as well as outgassing dynamics of the magmatic system. Lava lake elevation may also be useful in forecasting potentially hazardous eruptions on a volcano’s flanks (Burgi and others 2014; Patrick and others 2015, 2020). Precise measurements of lava lake elevation have been challenging in the past, due to thick volcanic gas plumes and the inaccessibility of most lava lakes. New technologies, such as laser rangefinders, provides new opportunities to measure lava levels with high accuracy and sample rates. In this data
New USGS Data Release featuring Mauna Loa webcam imagery
The 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, was the first eruption on the volcano since 1984, producing a 17 km lava flow that threatened a major highway. The eruption began with lava fountaining in the summit caldera (Mokuʻāweoweo) at 23:21 HST on November 27, transitioning to vents on the Northeast Rift Zone (NERZ) by the next morning. The dominant vent on the NERZ—fissure 3—was active for about 13 days, sending a lava flow to the north that stalled within 3 km of Daniel K. Inouye Highway. The eruption ended on December 10, having covered a section of