After Dark in the Park | Sixteen Explosive Days at Kīlauea | Don Swanson & Ben Gaddis

Sixteen Explosive Days at Kīlauea in May 1924.

In May 1924, more than 50 explosions from Halemaʻumaʻu produced volcanic ash that fell from South Hilo to South Kona. Thousands of rocks weighing as much as 12 tons crashed to the ground in Kīlauea caldera. Electrical storms and torrential rain accompanied several of the explosions, earthquakes repeatedly shook the summit, and Halemaʻumaʻu doubled in width. Don Swanson, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist emeritus, and Ben Gaddis, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory volunteer, describe the preamble to that eventful May 100 years ago, highlight the 2.5 weeks of explosions and their impacts on the people who were there, and speculate why similar explosions did not occur during the 2018 partial collapse of the caldera.

Sixteen Explosive Days at Kīlauea in May 1924 In May 1924, more than 50 explosions from Halemaʻumaʻu produced volcanic ash that fell from South Hilo to South Kona. Thousands of rocks weighing as much as 12 tons crashed to the ground in Kīlauea caldera. Electrical storms and torrential rain accompanied several of the explosions, earthquakes repeatedly shook the summit, and Halemaʻumaʻu doubled in width. Don Swanson, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist emeritus, and Ben Gaddis, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory volunteer, describe the preamble to that eventful May 100 years ago, highlight the 2.5 weeks of explosions and their impacts on the people who were there, and speculate why similar explosions did not occur during the 2018 partial collapse of the caldera. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's ongoing After Dark in the Park series of programs. Program co-sponsored by Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free event, but park entrance fees apply.