Aj. Sutton et al., Implications for eruptive processes as indicated by sulfur dioxide emissions from Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i, 1979-1997, J VOLCANOL, 108(1-4), 2001, pp. 283-302
Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i, currently hosts the longest running SO2 emission-
rate data set on the planet, starting with initial surveys done in 1975 by
Stoiber and his colleagues. The 17.5-year record of summit emissions, start
ing in 1979, shows the effects of summit and east rift eruptive processes,
which define seven distinctly different periods of SO, release. Summit emis
sions jumped nearly 40% with the onset (3 January 1983) of the Pu'u O'o-Kup
aianaha eruption on the east rift zone (ERZ). Summit SO2 emissions from Kil
auea showed a strong positive correlation with short-period, shallow, calde
ra events, rather than with long-period seismicity as in more silicious sys
tems. This correlation suggests a maturation process in the summit magma-tr
ansport system from 1986 through 1993. During a steady-state throughput-equ
ilibrium interval of the summit magma reservoir, integration of summit-cald
era and ERZ SO2 emissions reveals an undegassed volume rate of effusion of
2.1 X 10(5) m(3)/d. This value corroborates the volume-rate determined by g
eophysical methods, demonstrating that, for Kilauea, SO2 emission rates can
be used to monitor effusion rate, supporting and supplementing other, more
established geophysical methods. For the 17.5 years of continuous emission
rate records at Kilauea, the volcano has released 9.7 X 10(6) t (metric to
nnes) Of SO2, 1.7 X 10(6) t from the summit and 8.0 X 10(6) t from the east
rift zone. On an annual basis, the average SO2 release from Kilauea is 4.6
X 10(5) t/y, compared to the global annual volcanic emission rate of 1.2 X
10(7) t/y. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.