This data release contains selected results of whole-rock and glass analyses of lava samples collected during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea’s lower East Rift Zone (LERZ). Included are sampling-site information, eruptive vent/fissure, and sampling descriptions. During the 2018 LERZ eruption, the chemical analysis of lava samples was performed within hours of collection using an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) pressed-pellet methodology. The accuracy of this method was evaluated by analyzing a subset of samples using the more widely accepted wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) fused-bead methodology. WD-XRF analyses were performed both during and after the eruption at the Hamilton Analytical Lab, Hamilton College, New York. Results from both ED-XRF and WD-XRF, as well as summary statistics on reference-material runs, are presented here for selected major and trace-element data. The glass component of lava samples was analyzed separately using Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA). The results of EPMA analysis of samples, as well as summary statistics on EPMA glass-reference-material runs are presented for selected major and trace-element data. Also included in this release are the analytical results from whole-rock and glass samples which are representative of magmatic end members, or eruptive vent sites, on Kilauea volcano. This includes, a spatter sample collected from the “last gasp” of the Puu Oo eruption during the collapse of that vent on May 1, 2018 preceding the LERZ eruption, select samples from the Puu Oo vent preceeding the eruption, samples from the Overlook vent at Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kilauea, and finally a dacite-lava sample collected from a drilling well in the LERZ which may represent a mixing end-member of the LERZ 2018 eruption.

This dataset includes wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) major-oxide and trace-element whole-rock analyses, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) trace-element whole-rock analyses, and glass analyses by electron microprobe of scoria and lava samples from the Kamakaiʻa Hills of the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi. Whole-rock chemical analyses were performed at the Hamilton Analytical Laboratory at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, USA, whereas glass chemical analyses were performed at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, USA.

This dataset includes wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) major-oxide and trace-element whole-rock analyses, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) trace-element whole-rock analyses, and glass analyses by electron microprobe of scoria and lava samples from the Kamakaiʻa Hills of the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi. Whole-rock chemical analyses were performed at the Hamilton Analytical Laboratory at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, USA, whereas glass chemical analyses were performed at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, USA.

A limited suite of samples for the 2020–2023 Kīlauea eruptions within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) field teams from within a publicly closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in cooperation with the National Park Service. This data release presents sample metadata, whole rock ED-XRF, whole rock WD-XRF, whole rock LA-ICP-MS, glass EPMA, glass LA-ICP-MS, leachate, and isotope data for these samples.

A limited suite of samples for the 2020–2023 Kīlauea eruptions within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) field teams from within a publicly closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in cooperation with the National Park Service. This data release presents sample metadata, whole rock ED-XRF, whole rock WD-XRF, whole rock LA-ICP-MS, glass EPMA, glass LA-ICP-MS, leachate, and isotope data for these samples.

The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea Volcano began in the late afternoon of 3 May, with fissure 1 opening and erupting lava onto Mohala Street in the Leilani Estates subdivision, part of the lower Puna District of the Island of Hawai'i. For the first week of the eruption, relatively viscous lava flowed only within a kilometer (0.6 miles) of the fissures within Leilani Estates, before activity shifted downrift (east-northeast) and out of the subdivision during mid-May. Around 18 May, activity along the lower East Rift Zone intensified, and fluid lava erupting at higher effusion rates from the downrift fissures reached the ocean within two days. Near the end of May, this more vigorous activity shifted back uprift into Leilani Estates, where fissure 8 reactivated with lava fountains feeding several 'a'a flows. The southernmost flow lobe developed into a well-defined lava channel and reached the ocean at Kapoho Bay - 11 kilometers (7 miles) away - on 3 June. Fissure 8 continued supplying this lava channel for more than two months, constructing an approximately 3.5-square-kilometer (1.4-square-mile) lava delta along the coastline. Over 4 and 5 August, activity at fissure 8 waned and flow in the lava channel came to a halt, only to be followed by weak activity within the vent in late August and early September. By then, the eruption had covered 35.5 square kilometers (13.7 square miles) of the lower Puna District with lava. In this report, the authors have sought to chronicle this sequence of events using geospatial data in the form of an Esri file geodatabase, Esri shapefiles, and Google Earth KMZs.

The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea Volcano began in the late afternoon of 3 May, with fissure 1 opening and erupting lava onto Mohala Street in the Leilani Estates subdivision, part of the lower Puna District of the Island of Hawai'i. For the first week of the eruption, relatively viscous lava flowed only within a kilometer (0.6 miles) of the fissures within Leilani Estates, before activity shifted downrift (east-northeast) and out of the subdivision during mid-May. Around 18 May, activity along the lower East Rift Zone intensified, and fluid lava erupting at higher effusion rates from the downrift fissures reached the ocean within two days. Near the end of May, this more vigorous activity shifted back uprift into Leilani Estates, where fissure 8 reactivated with lava fountains feeding several 'a'a flows. The southernmost flow lobe developed into a well-defined lava channel and reached the ocean at Kapoho Bay - 11 kilometers (7 miles) away - on 3 June. Fissure 8 continued supplying this lava channel for more than two months, constructing an approximately 3.5-square-kilometer (1.4-square-mile) lava delta along the coastline. Over 4 and 5 August, activity at fissure 8 waned and flow in the lava channel came to a halt, only to be followed by weak activity within the vent in late August and early September. By then, the eruption had covered 35.5 square kilometers (13.7 square miles) of the lower Puna District with lava. In this report, the authors have sought to chronicle this sequence of events using geospatial data in the form of an Esri file geodatabase, Esri shapefiles, and Google Earth KMZs.

Olivine and glass major and minor element chemistry for select eruptions of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii as measured by electron microprobe, with secondary standard analyses.

Olivine and glass major and minor element chemistry for select eruptions of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii as measured by electron microprobe, with secondary standard analyses.

In May 2018, the onset of new eruptive activity on the lower flank of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, accompanied the draining of the lava lake at the summit, 40 km upslope. The lava lake draining lasted over seven days, and transitioned into the largest collapse event at the summit of Kīlauea in over 200 years, with the paired flank and summit activity marking a historic episode in the modern record of Kīlauea. We present two important datasets that characterize draining of the Kīlauea summit lava lake in 2018. First, we present high-precision elevation data of the lava lake surface measured by an industrial laser rangefinder. To our knowledge, this is the highest-precision lava lake elevation data ever collected over a sustained period. Second, we present three-dimensional models of the drained crater on three dates during the draining sequence. The models were constructed from oblique airborne thermal images using structure-from-motion processing. These models constrain the crater geometry and can be used for measuring the volume of the lava lake during its draining. This combined dataset may be useful for future research on the 2018 eruption.