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Caldera-Forming Eruptions at Basaltic Volcanoes: Outcomes from the 2025 AGU Chapman Conference in Hilo, Hawaiʻi

^^ Kyle R. Anderson1^^ , Ashton F. Flinders2, Kendra J. Lynn2, Aline Peltier3, Michael P. Poland4, and Thomas Shea5

  • Affiliations: 1USGS California Volcano Observatory, Moffett Field, USA 2USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hilo, USA 3Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, La Réunion, France 4USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, USA 5Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Mānoa, USA

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Thursday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 58

  • Programme No: 3.11.18

  • Theme 3 > Session 11

Abstract

Basaltic caldera-forming rift eruptions represent an underappreciated hazard for many global communities, but also present an opportunity to better understand some of Earth's most active volcanoes. A handful of these eruptions have been documented globally in the last half-century, including at Miyakejima (Japan), Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion, France), Bárðarbunga (Iceland), and most recently at Kīlauea (Hawai'i, USA) in 2018. Observations from Kīlauea and other global historical eruptions offer an unprecedented opportunity to understand calderas and associated rift systems and the dynamics of their interplay, but an international, community-driven synthesis has been lacking and numerous fundamental scientific questions remain. In February 2025, more than 120 researchers from around the world met in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, to establish our current state of knowledge, compare global caldera-rift systems, and map out work on critical outstanding questions. Technical meeting themes included lessons from historical eruptions; inferences into coupled magmatic-tectonic caldera-rift systems; eruptive processes, hazards, and forecasting; and the post-collapse evolution of caldera-rift systems. Additional activities included two field trips and several workshops. This presentation will summarize key meeting themes and new efforts arising from discussions in Hilo. We hope these efforts will bear fruit when the next large basaltic caldera collapse takes place somewhere on Earth.