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Jeff Sutton

Publications and source records attributed to Jeff Sutton.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2016

The 2014 annual report for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

Introduction This report summarizes team activities and findings of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory during the year 2014 in geology, geodesy, seismicity, and gas geochemistry. The eruption of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō continued into its 32nd year with flows active to the northeast of the vent. One of them, the June 27th lava flow, named for the date in 2014 that the flow started, advanced far and fast enough to threaten the town of Pāhoa and Highway 130 in the Puna District of the Island of Hawai‘i. In response, the alert level for Kīlauea was elevated from WATCH to WARNING on September 4, followed by the declaration of a State Disaster on September 5 and a National Disaster on November 3. During 2014, renewed inflation and increased seismicity was detected beneath the summit and upper west flank of Mauna Loa. Although above background, the frequency and magnitude of the earthquakes remained at such low levels that, by year’s end, the four-tier alert level code for Mauna Loa remained at its lowest level—NORMAL. These changes were discussed in several Volcano Watch articles. Hualālai, Haleakalā, Mauna Kea, and Lo‘īhi showed no signs of unrest during the year.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2015

An automated SO2 camera system for continuous, real-time monitoring of gas emissions from Kīlauea Volcano's summit Overlook Crater

SO 2 camera systems allow rapid two-dimensional imaging of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emitted from volcanic vents. Here, we describe the development of an SO 2 camera system specifically designed for semi-permanent field installation and continuous use. The integration of innovative but largely “off-the-shelf” components allowed us to assemble a robust and highly customizable instrument capable of continuous, long-term deployment at Kīlauea Volcano's summit Overlook Crater. Recorded imagery is telemetered to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) where a novel automatic retrieval algorithm derives SO 2 column densities and emission rates in real-time. Imagery and corresponding emission rates displayed in the HVO operations center and on the internal observatory website provide HVO staff with useful information for assessing the volcano's current activity. The ever-growing archive of continuous imagery and high-resolution emission rates in combination with continuous data from other monitoring techniques provides insight into shallow volcanic processes occurring at the Overlook Crater. An exemplary dataset from September 2013 is discussed in which a variation in the efficiency of shallow circulation and convection, the processes that transport volatile-rich magma to the surface of the summit lava lake, appears to have caused two distinctly different phases of lake activity and degassing. This first successful deployment of an SO 2 camera for continuous, real-time volcano monitoring shows how this versatile technique might soon be adapted and applied to monitor SO 2 degassing at other volcanoes around the world.

Hawai'i↗
USGS2011

Small explosion from new vent at Kilauea’s summit

At 0258 Hawaii‐Aleutian Standard Time (HST) on 19 March 2008, a small explosion scattered altered and fresh lithic debris across a 40‐hectare area at the summit of Kilauea volcano. This explosion, the first recorded there since 1924, issued from a vent about 35 meters wide along the east wall of Halema'uma'u Crater. Ballistic fragments—the largest measuring nearly 1 meter across—were propelled upward more than 70 meters onto the Halema'uma'u crater rim. Coarse ash and centimeter‐size lithic debris covered part of Crater Rim Drive, and fine ash was deposited farther than 30 kilometers to the southwest.

Hawaii↗
USGS1997

Volcanic Air Pollution - A Hazard in Hawai'i

Noxious sulfur dioxide gas and other pollutants emitted from Kilauea Volcano on the Island of Hawai'i react with oxygen and atmospheric moisture to produce volcanic smog (vog) and acid rain. Vog poses a health hazard by aggravating preexisting respiratory ailments, and acid rain damages crops and can leach lead into household water supplies. The U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is closely monitoring gas emissions from Kilauea and working with health professionals and local officials to better understand volcanic air pollution and to enhance public awareness of this hazard.

Fact Sheet↗