Whole-rock and glass chemistry of lava samples collected during the 2018 Lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea

This data release contains selected results of whole-rock and glass analyses of lava samples collected during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea's lower East Rift Zone (LERZ). Included are sampling-site information, eruptive vent/fissure, and sampling descriptions. During the 2018 LERZ eruption, the chemical analysis of lava samples was performed within hours of collection using an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) pressed-pellet methodology. The accuracy of this method was evaluated by analyzing a subset of samples using the more widely accepted wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) fused-bead methodology. WD-XRF analyses were performed both during and after the eruption at the Hamilton Analytical Lab, Hamilton College, New York. Results from both ED-XRF and WD-XRF, as well as summary statistics on reference-material runs, are presented here for selected major and trace-element data. The glass component of lava samples was analyzed separately using Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA). The results of EPMA analysis of samples, as well as summary statistics on EPMA glass-reference-material runs are presented for selected major and trace-element data. Also included in this release are the analytical results from whole-rock and glass samples which are representative of magmatic end members, or eruptive vent sites, on Kilauea volcano. This includes, a spatter sample collected from the "last gasp" of the Puu Oo eruption during the collapse of that vent on May 1, 2018 preceding the LERZ eruption, select samples from the Puu Oo vent preceeding the eruption, samples from the Overlook vent at Halema'uma'u at the summit of Kilauea, and finally a dacite-lava sample collected from a drilling well in the LERZ which may represent a mixing end-member of the LERZ 2018 eruption.