Complex staged emplacement of a basaltic lava: The example of the July 1974 flow of Kilauea.

ABSTRACT: Basaltic lava flows can be highly destructive. Forecasting the future path and/or behavior of an active lava flow is challenging because topography is often poorly constrained and lava has a complex rheology and emplacement history. Preserved lavas are an important source of information which, combined with observations of active flows, underpins conceptual models of lava flow emplacement. However, the value of preserved lavas is limited because pre-eruptive topography and, thus, syn-eruptive lava flow geometry are usually not known. Here, we use tree-mold data to constrain pre-eruptive topography and syn-eruptive lava flow geometry of the July 1974 flow of Kīlauea (USA). Tree molds, which are formed after advancing lava encloses standing trees, preserve the lava inundation height and the

SUBMITTER: Biass S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11958447 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature