Mapping New Lava Geologists everywhere like to study rocks in the field, but few of them get to map rocks that are still molten and on the move. In Hawaii, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey map the new lava flows erupted from Kilauea Volcano to determine their extent and volume.
Mapping also helps to keep track of how fast flows are advancing toward areas where people live.
In the past three years, the way scientists map lava has undergone a revolution. These devices receive the radio waves from global positioning system satellites to determine the position of the receiver on the Earth's surface. Portable receivers record positions to within 15 feet, which is well suited for lava-flow maps. To map flows, scientists walk around them as near their edges as possible, noting their characteristics and position. With GPS receivers, the position is recorded by pushing a button, and the data are recorded in the computerized memory of the device.