Kilauea volcano could erupt like a 'stomp-rocket toy', says study

Scientists might have found the mechanism behind the unusual explosive eruptions seen at one of the most active volcanoes in the world - Kilauea.

The Big Island's Kilauea volcano, part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, in 2018 erupted over a dozen times in a way scientists compared to a child's stomp rocket – a toy where you stomp to launch a rocket skyward.

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This distinctive behaviour was explained in a recent paper published in Nature Geosciences.

According to lead researcher Josh Crozier, a geologist at Stanford University, this unusual eruptive style likely worsened the impact of the 2018 lava flow, which devastated over 600 properties.

The eruptions sometimes up to 30 feet high were uncommon because explosive eruptions are typically driven by either rising molten rock -- magma -- or by expanding steam from magma heating underground water.

The stomp-rocket toy mechanism geologists believe caused the 2018 eruptions likely stemmed from the collapse of the magma reservoir, which suddenly increased the pressure of gas trapped in the chamber and led to an explosive eruption.

Geologist Josh Crozier explains that a combination of seismic and geodetic instruments captured a significant and sudden swelling of the ground near the magma chamber. Additionally, infrasound readings, which track low-frequency sounds, indicated a decrease in air pressure.

"It's really quite different from a typical spectrum of groundwater-driven, magma-driven eruptions," he said.

The unusual eruptions at Kilauea have been witnessed as early as the 1920s, which began a series of large explosive eruptions, said Crozier, who conducted the study during his time with the US Geological Survey.

In 2018, the extra explosive activity at the summit helped drive the heavy outpouring of the magma, Crozier said. The lava then poured along the east rift zone of the volcano, damaging hundreds of homes on its path towards the ocean, he added.

Similar eruptions at Kilauea could occur in the future, but it would be "highly unlikely" in the next decade, Crozier said.

(With inputs from agencies)