Hurricane Lane vs Kilauea: What happens when a tropical storm meets a volcano?

A continuous stream of lava from the Kilauea volcano has changed the shape of Big Island since May 3.

More than 700 homes have been destroyed and 6,000 acres of land have been destroyed by the devastating lava flow. 

Last Thursday, Hurricane Lane was downgraded to a tropical storm and huge amounts of rainfall hit Big Island over the weekend. 

People on Big Island were forced to evacuate after rainfall reached levels of 44.88 inches at Waiakea Uka on Big Island. 

The last time at tropical cyclone or rainstorm produced that much rain was Hurricane Paul in November 2000.

What happens when a tropical storm meets a volcano?

Bill McGuire, a volcanologist and Emeritus Professor of Geophysical and Climate Hazards at University College London, warned the meeting of tropical storms and volcanoes can cause “big problems”. 

He told Express.co.uk: “During the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo, a typhoon arrived at the height of the eruption. 

“The torrential rainfall mixed with the accumulating ash fall to generate destructive mudflows that also dammed rivers, causing them to burst their banks. 

“In 1998, Hurricane Mitch dumped huge quantities of rain on the Casita volcano in Nicaragua, triggering mudflows that wiped out several villages and took more than 2,000 lives. 

“As climate change makes tropical storms wetter, this will become an increasing problem.”

Professor McGuire added some tropical storms similar to Lane bring low atmospheric pressure, which can contribute to a volcanic eruption. 

He said: “There is plenty of evidence for small changes in the environment triggering volcanoes, and earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis.

“Some eruptions at Montserrat’s Soufriere Hills volcano have been related to torrential rainfall associate with tropical storms. 

“This infiltrates the volcano, comes into contact with the magma, and triggers explosive blasts. 

“Fascinatingly, the coastally-located Pavlof volcano in Alaska, tends to erupt when low pressure weather systems raise adjacent sea levels by just ten to fifteen cm. 

“Amazingly, this is enough to bend the crust under the volcano in such a way that magma is squeezed out.” 

However, Professor McGuire doubted last week’s floods will cause more eruptions or earthquakes from Kilauea. 

The US Geological Survey (USGS) released a report detailing the lack of lava at Fissure 8 in the lower east rift zone (LERZ) this week.

The lack of lava seems to suggest the volcano is slowing down in its seismic activity. 
 


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