What’s been driving Hawaii’s lava fountains?
Summary
Ars Technica explains how Hawaii’s Kilauea lava fountains have been studied through an extensive monitoring network, revealing that eruptions link to rapid summit inflation/deflation and replenishment of a shallow magma reservoir. The article outlines competing eruption mechanisms, with data leaning toward a steam-driven process supported by gas chemistry (SO2) and magma temperatures, and notes the value and limits of sensor data in predicting fountain events.