The Hawaiian volcano K?lauea began erupting on May 4, 2018. It wouldn't stop until four months later, in September. The lava flows closed national parks, created new islands, and changed Hawaii's coastline.
Now we're learning something else about K?lauea: Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are revealing their study of this year's eruption, and have come to the conclusion that the four-month explosion was "unprecedented." Here's why.
When looking at volcanoes, scientists often focus on what's known as the caldera, a volcanic crater similar to a cauldron. When magma chambers deep within a volcano drain suddenly and unexpectedly, the caldera collapses—it's "like a balloon deflating," says Emily Montgomery Brown, a research geophysicist at the USGS, speaking to Popular Mechanics via email.
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