What is a Hawaiian eruption?

A Hawaiian eruption is a relatively gentle, low-level volcanic event characterized by fluid, basaltic lava flows and very small amounts of volcanic ash. These effusive eruptions typically feature low-viscosity magma, low gas content, and high temperatures at the vent, often resulting in lava fountains or streams. They are commonly observed at hotspot volcanoes like Kīlauea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii.

What we know

• Hawaiian eruptions are effusive eruptions featuring basaltic magmas of low viscosity, low gas content, and high temperature at the vent. [2]
• These eruptions typically produce very small amounts of volcanic ash and can occur along fissure vents or at a central vent. [2]
• Hawaiian eruptions usually start with localized earthquake activity followed by the formation of ground cracks and lava fountains. [2]
• Magmatic eruptions involve the decompression of gas within magma that propels it forward, with Hawaiian eruptions representing one of the weaker subtypes. [2, 3]

Where to go next

• compared withHow do Strombolian eruptions differ from Hawaiian ones?
• the bigger pictureWhat role does the Volcanic Explosivity Index play in classifying eruptions?
• a case in pointHow does Mauna Loa produce its fluid lava flows?
• how it workedWhat triggers the decompression of gas in magmatic eruptions?
• how we knowHow do scientists track precursor earthquakes to predict eruptions?
• an unexpected connectionHow did Buffalo Soldiers help volcanology in Hawaii?Buffalo Soldiers assisted in building a path to the top of Mauna Loa in 1915 to establish research routes still used by scientists today.

Sources

• [1]Hawaiian eruption (Wikidata Q1199175) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Hawaiian eruption · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Volcanic eruption · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Mauna Loa · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Strombolian eruption · CC BY-SA 4.0