[Review of Decker, R.W., Wright, T.L., and Stauffer, P.H. (eds.), 1987, Volcanism in Hawaii, 2 v.]

Sparks, R

These two magnificent volumes have been published as part of the celebration of the anniversary of the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The volcanoes of Kilauea and Mauna Loa have provided unique natural scientific laboratories for understanding the behaviour of active volcanoes. These volcanoes are the most thoroughly studied on earth, and the Professional Paper covers almost every conceivable aspect of Hawaiian volcanism. Professional Paper 1350 comes in two large hard-covered volumes and is an absolute bargain at the price. It contains numerous superb colour photographs of Hawaiian activity and geology and a large number of coloured maps and diagrams. There are 61 separate articles and over 1650 pages of text. Papers range from general reviews to detailed compilations of data to recent studies with new ideas. Subjects covered include stratigraphy, overall evolution of the Hawaiian chain, morphology, eruption chronology and monitoring, petrology, geochemistry, all aspects of geophysics and even the history of research on Hawaii. One suspects that a large amount of valuable data that have remained in files for many years have emerged in this effort. The amount of information is almost overwhelming. The two volumes are thus an essential reference for every conceivable aspect of basaltic volcanism as exemplified by Hawaii. The book shows just how many fundamental concepts have emerged from the study of Hawaii. Many of the chapters deal with elaborations on ideas and observations which are widely known already. Stratigraphy on Kilauea highlights how rapidly the structure is growing; over 90% of the subaerial surface is less than 1100 years old. Seismic studies have defined the plumbing system with remarkable precision and have led to a quantitative understanding of the geometry and size of the magma reservoir and supply system. Several papers deal with the remarkable cyclic eruptions of Puu Oo. The recent discovery of the active submarine volcano of Loihi has resulted in changing ideas on the early growth of Hawaiian volcanoes, showing that they initiate with alkalic magmatism. Lava lake studies have also demonstrated the complexity of magma differentiation mechanisms even in small magma bodies. More controversial but stimulating concepts include G.P.L. Walker's ideas on caldera formation in basaltic volcanoes and H.R. Shaw's applications of strange attractor theory to Hawaiian volcano activity. The only critical comment on an otherwise superlative book concerns the notable lack of discussion on the overall cause of volcanism in the context of global dynamics. The chapters that deal with the overall evolution of the Hawaiian volcanism and causes of magma generation are strangely out of date and omit reference to major advances in understanding convection in the mantle and magma generation. I did not see any reference to the spectacular non-hydrostatic geoid anomaly found in association with Hawaii from satellite measurements. These data strongly support an upwelling hot mantle plume beneath Hawaii. The simple relationships discovered by D.P. McKenzie between mantle temperature and crustal thickness neatly explain the overall dimensions of Hawaii but are not mentioned. The 18 km thickness of the Hawaiian pile is consistent with a mantle source 100-150°C hotter than normal melting by simple decompression of a rising plume. I got the impression that nobody involved in the book was aware of these fundamental advances and their implications. I round no mention of innovative research on the fluid dynamics of plume ascent by Whitehead and others at Woods Hole which provides a neat explanation of spacing of Hawaiian volcanoes. While acknowledging the outstanding contributions of USGS volcanologists on Hawaii there does seem to be a slight reluctance to acknowledge or even be aware of important work outside the confines of the organization.

[Review of Decker, R.W., Wright, T.L., and Stauffer, P.H. (eds.), 1987, Volcanism in Hawaii, 2 v.]

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