Infrasound from the 2007 fissure eruptions of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i

Varied acoustic signals were recorded at Kilauea Volcano in mid-2007, coincident with dramatic changes in the volcano's activity. Prior to this time period, Pu'u 'O'o crater produced near-continuous infrasonic tremor and was the primary source of degassing and lava effusion at Kilauea. Collapse and draining of Pu'u 'O'o crater in mid-June produced impulsive infrasonic signals and fluctuations in infrasonic tremor. Fissure eruptions on 19 June and 21 July were clearly located spatially and temporally using infrasound arrays. The 19 June eruption from a fissure approximately mid-way between Kilauea's summit and Pu'u 'O'o produced infrasound for similar to 30 minutes-the only observed geophysical signal associated with the fissure opening. The infrasound signal from the 21 July eruption just east of Pu'u 'O'o shows a clear azimuthal progression over time, indicative of fissure propagation over 12.9 hours. The total fissure propagation rate is relatively slow at 164 m/hr, although the fissure system ruptured discontinuously. Individual fissure rupture times are estimated using the acoustic data combined with visual observations. Citation: Fee, D., M. Garces, T. Orr, and M. Poland (2011), Infrasound from the 2007 fissure eruptions of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L06309, doi:10.1029/2010GL046422.