{"id":20968,"date":"2026-10-10T12:05:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T12:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=20968"},"modified":"2026-10-10T12:05:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T12:05:47","slug":"whats-been-driving-hawaiis-lava-fountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=20968","title":{"rendered":"What’s been driving Hawaii’s lava fountains?"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten:<\/strong> This is a summary of an article from Ars Technica, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.<\/p>\n

Ars Technica •
\n John Timmer
\n • October 9, 2026<\/strong><\/div>\n\n

Hawaii’s lava fountains are dramatic events where molten rock shoots hundreds of meters into the air, unlike the slower flows common at volcanoes like Hawaii’s Kilauea. While scientists have studied these phenomena at locations such as Mount Etna and Iceland, the exact mechanism driving them remains uncertain until recent data from Kilauea provided new insights. Researchers from the US Geological Survey documented these events using extensive equipment, including seismic sensors, gas monitors, and thermal cameras, to track the volcano’s behavior following a major 2018 eruption that drained an underground magma reservoir.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Starting in 2019, the Halema\u02bbuma\u02bbu magma reservoir began refilling rapidly, causing the local peak to inflate at over 22 centimeters per year. By 2023, this rate doubled to 57 centimeters per year and spread to a nearby caldera. In 2024, a series of earthquakes opened a 900-meter-long fissure, launching fountains up to 160 meters high for 13 hours. A second eruption followed less than a day later, and as of last month, 52 additional fountain eruptions had occurred, with the most violent spewing lava over 400 meters into the air.<\/p>\n

A key finding was that scientists could predict fountaining eruptions by monitoring summit tilt rather than relying on seismic signals, which were absent immediately before restarts. Each eruption caused rapid deflation of the summit followed by slow refilling of the magma reservoir. The USGS noted that consecutive eruptions happened when the summit tilt reached similar levels, a pattern that helped them issue timely alerts.<\/p>\n

Chemical analysis suggests the steam-driven model is more likely than the carbon dioxide foam theory. Although sulfur dioxide levels rose during eruptions, they remained high throughout the cycle, while carbon dioxide levels stayed low. This points to steam fragmenting magma to allow rapid ascent, though it remains unclear why this process suddenly triggers fountains. Magnesium oxide fluctuations indicate that eruptions deplete the reservoir before it is refilled with hot material of a distinct chemical composition. Despite having many sensors, researchers admitted that more data would be ideal, noting that high infrared activity and safety concerns made installing additional hardware difficult.<\/p>\n

\n

Source:<\/strong> Ars Technica •
\n John Timmer
\n • October 9, 2026<\/p>\n

Read the original article at Ars Technica →<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Ars Technica, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story. Ars Technica • John Timmer • October 9, 2026 Hawaii’s lava fountains are dramatic events where molten rock<\/p>\n

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