Shifa Shaikh - Q4 Level 2

Pd. 3

5/20/2018

The Explosive Kilauea: Hawaii’s Longest Lasting Eruption

A few weeks ago, the residents of Pahoa, Hawaii sustained the onset of a shocking, and

rather volatile surprise. At around 5 AM on Thursday, May 3rd a plume of smoke, ash, and

flaming volcanic debris shot up into the air startling locals out of the shelter of their homes.

Immediately after, evacuations commenced with around 1,700 frantic residents cramming into a

community center trailing their children and relatives behind them. Uncertainty gripped their

consciences as they questioned the authorities in charge of monitoring them: Is this situation

going to go on for months? Can I go to my house to retrieve my pet if I wear a gas mask? Why

am I being told I can't get into my neighborhood? There were no easy answers amid the toxic

stew of sulfur dioxide and lava ripping through the ground. However, there was no doubt that the

health of the locals and, as the whole of Hawaii would realize later, the tourism industry was

imperiled. Naturally, Kilauea has had a history of erupting in the past, yet this current eruption

may just as well be the longest recorded throughout Hawaii’s past.

Before 1790, Kilauea was a dormant volcano and a tourist attraction for many

sightseers due to its stature of being the youngest and largest shield volcano on the island chain.

Taking up 14% of Hawaii and being between only 300,000 and 600,000 years old, this feat of

nature was revered by many locals. As the year progressed, however, the volcano became

increasingly active after an explosive and phreatomagmatic eruption in the late 1790’s which

took the lives of 80 people. From then on, Kilauea was excessively aggressive causing an
eruption in 1924 and then a few more from then on to 1955. In March 1990, Kilauea began its

most destructive period since 1823, leaving 50 to 80 feet of lava covering a church, a store, and

more than 100 homes. Afterward, the volcano is said to have been responsible for 61 eruptions.

Kilauea has not been dormant ever since and has erupted a multitude of times during short

intervals in the past.

This continuing volcanic activity in Pahoa has had an imminent negative impact on the

health of the Hawaiians. The eruption is producing 15,000 tons of life-threatening sulfur dioxide

per day, which is triple the amount formed from previous eruptions. Sulfur dioxide irritates the

skin and mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. High concentrations of SO2

can cause inflammation and irritation of the respiratory system, especially during heavy physical

activity. This fetid gas is harmful to the environment, as well. When combining with water and

air, it becomes sulfuric acid which is the main component and cause of acid rain. In addition to

the noxious effects of the acid, there is one other main concern that has arisen recently. As the

lava met with the Pacific Ocean, a new hazardous gas plume originated. “Laze”. Consisting of

dense white clouds of steam, toxic gas and tiny shards of volcanic glass, the clouds contain

hydrochloric acid, which is about as corrosive as diluted battery acid. It can irritate the skin and

eyes and cause breathing problems. Luckily, officials have passed out protective masks that filter

out chemicals in the air, which keeps the oxygen pure. Locals are also warned to keep away from

areas where levels of toxic gases are high. However, these precautions are irrelevant as the

flaming lava slowly advances, spreading these virulent gases through Pahoa.

Aside from health issues, Hawaii’s society is also facing adversity from a financial

aspect. The volcanic activity has left a $5 million dent in the island chain’s tourism industry as

more and more trip cancellations are being made. Already, revocations through the months of
May and June have commenced including hotel bookings and tourism activities. Unfortunately,

Hawaii relies on tourism as one of its most lucrative industries. In the past year, the tourism

industry alone collected $2.5 billion in visitor spending as 1.5 - 1.7 million tourists trekked the

islands of Hawaii. In addition to this enormous fee, the state of Hawaii must also pay for the

damage done to each building. So far, with around 40 structures demolished and 104 acres of

land charred, the sum to pay is not extreme. However, at the rate the lava is advancing, Hawaii is

still holding their breath. The memory of Kilauea’s eruption in 1955, which destroyed a

staggering 3,000 acres of land and cost the state of Hawaii $17.6 million, is still fresh in their

minds. Although they hope for a pared sum, expectations are low as the Hawaiians prepare for

the worst.

In order to fully understand the damage of the present Kilauea eruption, one must learn

how it originated. NBC News interviewed volcano expert, Paul Segall, on the basis of the

eruption and what signs were present at the time to hint at the volcanoes near emission. When he

was asked, How many of the world’s volcanoes are monitored for activity?, Segall replied stating

that, not many are monitored as extensively as Kilauea. According to him, it is one of the most

heavily instrumented volcanoes, with its own functioning seismometer which most likely lent a

hand in predicting the eruption. A few other factors that most likely warned Paul and other

geophysicists of the upcoming natural disaster were inflation, unfamiliar fissures, and the

multitude of earthquakes that rocked Hawaii beforehand. Inflation is when the summit of a

volcano and the areas around begin to swell upwards and outwards. Segall compared this process

to the filling of a balloon and stated that it showed the increase of pressure inside a volcano. This

movement was followed by the formation of many eruptive fissures around the island. However,

Segall and his co-workers found that the most obvious sign was, indefinitely, the breakout of the
earthquakes which proved that the earth was tilting, meaning that Kilauea’s magma was on the

move. In order to predict the severity of this eruption, though, Paul took a look into the past and

studied the patterns in the force of Kilauea’s activity. He found that there was a variety of

aggression in each of them, from a passive lava flow to an explosive ash-forming eruption. He

then considered the earthquakes that preceded the eruption. These quakes extended over a large

area of the crust, which hinted at the severity of Kilauea’s eruption. Overall, Paul Segall

conducted much research alongside his fellow geophysicists in order to predict Kilauea's

eruption and its possible asperity.

In conclusion, the present Kilauea eruption is proving to be quite the challenge for

Hawaii. Already, the citizens of Pahoa are suffering from the fatal gases mingling with their

oxygen, not to mention the pervasive, monetary issue adversely impacting Hawaii’s economy.

What I found to be most compelling about this topic was how a mere volcanic eruption can have

such a lasting repercussion on the Big Island and its residents. Of course, seeing how this is the

longest lasting eruption to ever occur in Hawaii, it’s no shock that the consequences are just as

prolonged. Unfortunately, as the mass of molten rock ascends through Pahoa and the Pacific

Ocean, no discernible end seems to be in sight. However, one thing's for sure. As newer and

fresher fissures fracture the surface of Pahoa and vast amounts of lava continue to spew from

Kilauea, one question resides in the frantic minds of the locals. When will this eruption end?

Bibliography

Musumeci, Natalie. “Volcano Eruption Puts $5M Dent in Hawaii Tourism Industry.”

New York Post, New York Post, 15 May 2018.

 “Volcano Expert Explains the Science behind Kilauea's Ongoing Eruption.”

NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group,