USGS Science⌕ Search

Geology topics

Research about Hawaii

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Hawaii.

At least 991 records · Page 55Linked to original sources
USGS1990

Prevalence and characteristics of plastic ingested by Hawaiian seabirds

The prevalence of plastic in 18 species of seabirds at seven study sites in the Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll was studied during 1986 and 1987. Stomach samples were collected by induced emesis from 1,803 live birds of 15 species and during necropsy of 277 dead birds of 5 species. The prevalence of ingested plastic varied greatly among species; age, year of collection, and location of the study site had less pronounced but significant effects. Ingested plastic was absent or uncommon in terns and noddies. Plastic was not found at all in samples from gray-backed terns, Sterna lunata , or white terns, Gygis alba . The prevalence was low in sooty terns, Sterna fuscata (0 to 8%), and brown, Anous stolidus , and black noddies, A. minutus (0 to 3%). Plastic was much more prevalent (67 to 100%) in chicks of black-footed, Diomedea nigripes , and Laysan albatrosses, D. immutabilis . In the 11 other species prevalence ranged from 0 to 44% depending on the age, year of collection, and location. The mean volume of plastic in samples collected at necropsy from Laysan albatross chicks was higher in 1986 (46 cc) than in 1987 (5 cc). Prevalence was generally higher in seabirds which fed at the surface. Fragments of manufactured articles were the most common type of plastic found. Other plastics included pellets, Styrofoam, bottle caps, bags, and sponges. The largest individual item (200 cc) and the greatest diversity of plastic items were found in albatross chicks.

Hawaii↗
USGS1989

Geochemical evidence for invasion of Kilauea's plumbing system by Mauna Loa magma

From the beginning of the study of Hawaiian volcanism there has been controversy over possible relationships between the neighbouring active volcanoes Mauna Loa and Kilauea 1–5 . Seismic activity, thought to reflect upward migration of magma, reveals that the magmatic plumbing systems apparently converge at depth to form a broad funnel within the mantle 6 . Although on rare occasions they have erupted concurrently, the brief historical eruptive record appears to show that when Kilauea is most active, Mauna Loa is in repose and vice versa, suggesting that they may be competing for the same magma supply 5,7 . Petrological, geochemical and isotope data, however, require a diametrically opposite conclusion. Distinct differences in major-element, trace-element and isotope compositions of lavas are regarded as compelling evidence that the two volcanoes have separate magmatic plumbing systems, supplied by parental magmas from physically and geochemically distinct mantle sources 8–13 . Here we present preliminary geochemical data which show that in the past 2,000 years Kilauea has erupted a spectrum of lava compositions resembling historical Kilauea lavas at one end and Mauna Loa lavas at the other. We discuss the cause of this diversity, and speculate that magma from Mauna Loa may have invaded Kilauea's 'high-level' magmatic plumbing system.

Hawaii↗
USGS1989

Geologic analyses of Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR-B) data of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Analyses of imaging radar data of volcanic terranes on Earth and Venus have emphasized the need for a clearer understanding of how these data can be most effectively used to accomplish important volcanological goals, including the interpretation of eruptive styles and the characterization of the geologic history of volcanic centers. The second Shuttle Imaging Radar experiment (SIR-B) obtained two digital images over the summit caldera and the Southwest Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano in 1984. Our geologic analyses of these images indicate that SIR-B data are particularly useful for delineating the distribution and surface textural variations of a'a lava flows, for mapping large-scale topographic features with radar-facing slopes, and for identifying an areally extensive pyroclastic deposit. Analyses of the SIR-B data of Kilauea, however, do not permit unambiguous identification of landforms such as pahoehoe lava flows, cinder cones, and fissures. Although separation of low-return units such as pahoehoe lava flows and adjacent pyroclastic ash is not greatly improved using standard image-enhancement techniques, the texture-analysis technique applied here did facilitate discrimination of such smooth-surfaced volcanic deposits. Although analyses of the SIR-B data permit a generally accurate interpretation of the eruptive history of Kilauea, the inability to distinguish low-return pahoehoe flows results in misinterpretation of several aspects of Kilauea volcanism, suggesting that caution should be exercised in the interpretation of SAR data of volcanic terranes.

Hawaii↗
USGS1989

Diapiric transfer of melt in Kilauea Iki lava lake, Hawaii: A quick, efficient process of igneous differentiation

Kilauea Iki lava lake, formed in 1959, is a large pond of picritic basalt (average MgO content = 15.34% by weight), which has cooled and crystallized as a small, self-roofed magma chamber. Repeated drilling of the upper crust of the lake, down to its molten core, and more recent (1981) drilling, through the thermal maximum and part way through the lower crust, have made it possible to monitor the differentiation processes in the lake in detail. Differentiation processes recognized as active in the lake include rather inefficient settling of the larger (2-10 mm) olivine phenocrysts, formation of segregation veins, and formation of diapir-like vertical olivine-rich bodies, all processes which occur in one or more of the other Kilauean lava lakes as well. In addition, most of the central part of Kilauea Iki has been affected by diapiric melt transfer. In this process, relatively low-density liquid, present at 1145-1160 °C, rose from within the loose crystal mush at the base of the lens of melt and intruded the equivalent thermal horizon at the top of the lens of melt, passing through the hotter but denser melt in the core of the lake without mixing. The source volume from which the low-density liquid was extracted is depleted in TiO 2 and other incompatible elements and enriched in FeO and CaO. The upper part of the lake shows the opposite effects. The crystalline assemblage present was olivine + augite + minor plagioclase. The crystallinity of both the source and receiving layers was low enough that no obvious textural imprint was left by the transfer process; the principal evidence for its occurrence is the chemical zonation of the lake seen in core from depths of 13 to 80 m. Diapiric melt transfer was active from 1960 to 1971 and has affected most of the central part of the lake from 13 m to at least 80 m. The process ran simultaneously with the other three main differentia tion processes but started and stopped independently of the others. Calculations suggest that between 21 and 42 wt % liquid has been extracted from the depleted zone at 56-78 m in the center of the lake, making this a very efficient process of chemical differentiation.

Hawaii↗
USGS1989

Preliminary geologic map of the Puu Anahulu quadrangle, Hawaii

Vent deposits and lava flows from Hualalai Volcano and lava flows from Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea Volcanoes cover the Puu Anahulu 7 1/2-minute quadrangle. Hualalai's diffuse north-trending rift zone, marked by the large trachyte cone of Puu Waawaa and several basaltic spatter cones, is located mainly in the southwestern part of the quadrangle. Several Hualalai flows originated in the Hualalai quadrangle, crossed the Puu Anahulu quadrangle, and terminated in the Kiholo quadrangle. Hualalai flows cover most of the western half of the quadrangle and are interlayered with Mauna Loa lavas along a 2-kilometer-wide strip from southeast to northwest across the middle of the Puu Anahulu quadrangle. Mauna Loa flows cover most of the eastern half. Mauna Kea flows are restricted to the northeastern corner, where they underlie Hualalai and Mauna Loa lavas. A few extensive and relatively young flows from Hualalai and Mauna Loa cover most of the quadrangle; thus, the older units are generally small in area. The oldest units in the quadrangle are the trachyte cone of Puu Waawaa and its flow, which includes Puu Anahulu, covers about 7 percent of the quadrangle. Basaltic lavas of Hualalai range in age from latest Pleistocene to less than 2,000 years. Pleistocene lavas cover about 5 percent of this quadrangle, lavas that are 5,000 - 10,000 years old cover about 5 percent, lavas that are 3,000 - 5,000 years old cover about 3 percent, and three extensive flows that are 1,500 - 3,000 years old cover about 25 percent. The oldest Mauna Loa flows, that are probably 5,000 - 10,000 years old, cover about 2 percent of this quadrangle, flows that are 3,000 - 5,000 years old cover about 18 percent, six extensive flows that are 1,500 - 3,000 years old cover about 23 percent, and the 1859 flow, that is the youngest volcanic unit, and covers about 10 percent of its area. Two hawaiite flows from Mauna Kea, that are late Pleistocene in age, cover about 2 percent of the quadrangle.

Hawaii↗
USGS1989

Water resources data for Hawaii and other Pacific areas, water year 1988: Volume 1. Hawaii

Water resources data for the 1988 water year for Hawaii and other Pacific Areas consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and springs; and water levels and water quality in wells. This report, volume 1, contains discharge records for 82 gaging stations; water quality for 14 gaging stations, 54 partial-record flow stations, and 148 wells; and water levels for 37 observations wells. Also included are 107 crest-stage partial record stations, 25 miscellaneous partial-record sites, and 8 low-flow partial-record stations. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State, Federal, and other agencies in Hawaii.

Hawaii↗
USGS1988

Large-scale bedforms in boulder gravel produced by giant waves in Hawaii

Approximately 105,000 yr ago (based on uranium-series dating), waves in a giant wave train swept up to an elevation of about 375 m on the island of Lanai. The waves deposited the Hulopoe Gravel, which near the present shoreline consists of basalt boulders, coral fragments, and calcareous beachrock slabs, and near the upper limit of the deposit consists of sand and shell fragments. The maximum heights of similar but lower deposits on nearby islands, when adjusted for their estimated subsidence due to volcanic loading during the past 105,000 yr, indicate that the source of the wave was about 50 km southwest of Lanai. We hypothesize that failure and downward movement of the huge Lanai submarine landslide created an ocean disturbance, which produced waves that rushed across the Lanai reef and beach, picked up limestone and lava fragments, and deposited them high on the island as the Hulopoe Gravel. Backwash from the waves stripped soil and rock from the islands and carried much of it to the sea. The Hulopoe Gravel is 8 m thick in a gulch 200 m inland from the Lanai shoreline, where it consists of three beds, successively, 2, 4, and 2 m thick. These beds are considered to have been laid down by successive waves in the wave train. Each bed consists of two units: a lower unit of basalt and limestone boulders, cobbles, and sand, and an upper bimodal unit of large basalt boulders with a pebbly sand matrix. These subunits are inferred to be deposited from the runup and backwash of each wave. At the upper surface of the Hulopoe Gravel, basalt boulders averaging 0.5 m in diameter are arranged in dunelike ridges about 1 m high and 10 m apart. Nearby, where young streams have cut into and exposed the lower beds of the Hulopoe, clasts at the boundaries between the beds are locally imbricated and dip landward. We interpret these features as aspects of torrential flow and crossbedding created during the high-speed backwash of the great waves.

Hawaii↗
USGS1988

Origin of ultramafic xenoliths containing exsolved pyroxenes from Hualalai Volcano, Hawaii

Hualalai Volcano, Hawaii, is best known for the abundant and varied xenoliths included in the historic 1800 Kaupulehu alkalic basalt flow. Xenoliths, which range in composition from dunite to anorthosite, are concentrated at 915-m elevation in the flow. Rare cumulate ultramafic xenoliths, which include websterite, olivine websterite, wehrlite, and clinopyroxenite, display complex pyroxene exsolution textures that indicate slow cooling. Websterite, olivine websterite, and one wehrlite are spinel-bearing orthopyroxene +olivine cumulates with intercumulus clinopyroxene +plagioclase. Two wehrlite samples and clinopyroxenite are spinel-bearing olivine cumulates with intercumulus clinopyroxene+orthopyroxene + plagioclase. Two-pyroxene geothermometry calculations, based on reconstructed pyroxene compositions, indicate that crystallization temperatures range from 1225° to 1350° C. Migration or unmixing of clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene stopped between 1045° and 1090° C. Comparisons of the abundance of K 2 O in plagioclase and the abundances of TiO 2 and Fe 2 O 3 in spinel of xenoliths and mid-ocean ridge basalt, and a single 87 Sr/ 86 Sr determination, indicate that these Hualalai xenoliths are unrelated to mid-ocean ridge basalt. Similarity between the crystallization sequence of these xenoliths and the experimental crystallization sequence of a Hawaiian olivine tholeiite suggest that the parental magma of the xenoliths is Hualalai tholeiitic basalt. Xenoliths probably crystallized between about 4.5 and 9 kb. The 155°–230° C of cooling which took place over about 120 ka — the age of the youngest Hualalai tholeiitic basalt — yield maximum cooling rates of 1.3×10 −3 –1.91×10 −3 °C/yr. Hualalai ultramafic xenoliths with exsolved pyroxenes crystallized from Hualalai tholeiitic basalt and accumulated in a magma reservoir located between 13 and 28 km below sealevel. We suspect that this reservoir occurs just below the base of the oceanic crust at about 19 km below sealevelz

Hawaii↗
USGS1988

Voluminous submarine lava flows from Hawaiian volcanoes

The GLORIA long-range sonar imaging system has revealed fields of large lava flows in the Hawaiian Trough east and south of Hawaii in water as deep as 5.5 km. Flows in the most extensive field (110 km long) have erupted from the deep submarine segment of Kilauea's east rift zone. Other flows have been erupted from Loihi and Mauna Loa. This discovery confirms a suspicion, long held from subaerial studies, that voluminous submarine flows are erupted from Hawaiian volcanoes, and it supports an inference that summit calderas repeatedly collapse and fill at intervals of centuries to millenia owing to voluminous eruptions. These extensive flows differ greatly in form from pillow lavas found previously along shallower segments of the rift zones; therefore, revision of concepts of volcano stratigraphy and structure may be required.

Hawaii↗
USGS1988

Water resources data for Hawaii and other Pacific areas, water year 1986: Volume 1. Hawaii

Water resources data for the 1986 water year for Hawaii and other Pacific Areas consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and springs; and water levels and water quality in wells. This report, volume 1, contains discharge records for 83 gaging stations; water quality for 13 gaging stations, 73 partial-record flow stations, and 172 wells; and water levels for 40 observations wells. Also included are 107 crest-stage partial-record stations and 10 low-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not part of the systematic data collection program, are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State, Federal, and other agencies in Hawaii.

Hawaii↗
USGS1988

Water resources data for Hawaii and other Pacific areas, water year 1986: Volume 2. Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and American Samoa

Volume 2 of water resources data for the 1986 water year for other Pacific areas consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and springs; stage of 2 lakes and a reservoir; and water levels and water quality in wells. This report contains discharge records for 29 gaging stations; stage only record for 3 gaging stations; water quality for 8 gaging stations; 5 partial-record stations; water temperature for 28 gaging stations; and water levels for 35 observation wells and water quality for 81 ground-water sites. Also included are 8 low-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not part of the systematic data collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Governments and Federal agencies in other Pacific areas.

Hawaii↗