Miscellaneous Projects

1. A ground-penetrating radar survey of lava deltas at Kilauea volcano

Another volcanology project that I have been involved in is a survey of the subsurface structure of lava deltas at Kilauea volcano. These deltas are structurally unstable, and their collapse is of concern to geologists and visitors of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. To image the subsurface structure, we conducted ground-penetrating radar surveys of active areas near the coastal margin. Shown here is a GPR image over an active lava tube. The tube is clearly visible on the image, as are several other structures. Bill Roggenthen (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology) and Vince Realmuto (JPL) are my collaborators, and we are currently preparing a manuscript on our work.

2. Determination of Constructional Lava Flow Surfaces

Surface-exposure dating (SED) methods typically rely on the measurement of a geochemical parameter that systematically changes with time. A pivotal task in the calibration of many of these techniques is to demonstrate that lava flow surfaces sampled for dating have not experienced erosion. Although criteria for identification of constructional basaltic lava flow surfaces have been published, no such criteria existed for the recognition of constructional silicic flows. Jon Fink, David Krinsley and I have completed a study of silicic volcanic landforms, and present criteria for recognizing surfaces that have not experienced erosion (Anderson et al., 1994).

Constructional surface of the Mount Unzen dacite dome.