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John J. Dvorak

Publications and source records attributed to John J. Dvorak.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2012

Variations in magma supply rate at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

When an eruption of Kilauea lasts more than 4 months, so that a well-defined conduit has time to develop, magma moves freely through the volcano from a deep source to the eruptive site at a constant rate of 0.09 km 3 /yr. At other times, the magma supply rate to Kilauea, estimated from geodetic measurements of surface displacements, may be different. For example, after a large withdrawal of magma from the summit reservoir, such as during a rift zone eruption, the magma supply rate is high initially but then lessens and exponentially decays as the reservoir refills. Different episodes of refilling may have different average rates of magma supply. During four year-long episodes in the 1960s, the annual rate of refilling varied from 0.02 to 0.18 km 3 /yr, bracketing the sustained eruptive rate of 0.09 km 3 /yr. For decade-long or longer periods, our estimate of magma supply rate is based on long-term changes in eruptive rate. We use eruptive rate because after a few dozen eruptions the volume of magma that passes through the summit reservoir is much larger than the net change of volume of magma stored within Kilauea. The low eruptive rate of 0.009 km 3 /yr between 1840 and 1950, compared to an average eruptive rate of 0.05 km 3 /yr since 1950, suggests that the magma supply rate was lower between 1840 and 1950 than it has been since 1950. An obvious difference in activity before and since 1950 was the frequency of rift zone eruptions: eight rift zone eruptions occurred between 1840 and 1950, but more than 20 rift zone eruptions have occurred since 1950. The frequency of rift zone eruptions influences magma supply rate by suddenly lowering pressure of the summit magma reservoir, which feeds magma to rift zone eruptions. A temporary drop of reservoir pressure means a larger-than-normal pressure difference between the reservoir and a deeper source, so magma is forced to move upward into Kilauea at a faster rate.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗
USGS1994

Relaxation of the south flank after the 7.2-magnitude Kalapana earthquake, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

An M = 7.2 earthquake on 29 November 1975 caused the south flank of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, to move seaward several meters: a catastrophic release of compression of the south flank caused by earlier injections of magma into the adjacent segment of a rift zone. The focal mechanisms of the mainshock, the largest foreshock, and the largest aftershock suggest seaward movement of the upper block. The rate of aftershocks decreased in a familiar hyperbolic decay, reaching the pre-1975 rate of seismicity by the mid-1980s. Repeated rift-zone intrusions and eruptions after 1975, which occurred within 25 km of the summit area, compressed the adjacent portion of the south flank, apparently masking continued seaward displacement of the south flank. This is evident along a trilateration line that continued to extend, suggesting seaward displacement, immediately after the M = 7.2 earthquake, but then was compressed during a series of intrusions and eruptions that began in September 1977. Farther to the east, trilateration measurements show that the portion of the south flank above the aftershock zone, but beyond the area of compression caused by the rift-zone intrusions and eruptions, continued to move seaward at a decreasing rate until the mid-1980s, mimicking the decay in aftershock rate. Along the same portion of the south flank, the pattern of vertical surface displacements can be explained by continued seaward movement of the south flank and development of two eruptive fissures along the east rift zone, each of which extended from a depth of ∼3 km to the surface. The aftershock rate and continued seaward movement of the south flank are reminiscent of crustal response to other large earthquakes, such as the 1966 M = 6 Parkfield earthquake and the 1983 M = 6.5 Coalinga earthquake.

Hawaii↗