Magnetotelluric Investigations of the Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii

A collaborative magnetotelluric (MT) study of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, revealed significant insights into its magma reservoirs and rift zones. The research, conducted between 2002 and 2003 by multiple institutions including the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, identified resistivity anomalies beneath Kīlauea that correlate with seismic velocity anomalies, suggesting melt fractions of 0.096 to 0.117 in low-resistivity zones like Puʻuʻōʻō. This study utilized advanced MT techniques with up to eight simultaneous stations, even in challenging conditions such as fresh lava flows, to map the volcano's plumbing system and improve understanding of large-scale landslides in the Hilina Slump, which pose risks to coastal communities.

Hoversten, G. M., Gasperikova, E., Mackie, R., Myer, D., Kauahikaua, J., Newman, Greg. A., & Cuevas, N. (2022). Magnetotelluric Investigations of the Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 127(8). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022jb024418