Kīlauea lava supplied by two sources

"RESERVOIR 1 (right) Lies 1 mile below the eastern rim of Halemaumau. RESERVOIR 2 (left) Lies 1 to 2 miles deep, southeast of Halemaumau crater near the southern rim of Kilauea Caldera. Magma flows out of the earth's crust into the magma chambers, where it’s stored and mixed before spewing onto the surface. Artist's rendering by Kip Aoki, Honolulu Star-Advertiser; not shown to scale.

Aaron Pietruszka, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) geochemist in Denver who earned his PhD from the Department of Geology & Geophysics (G&G), has confirmed that the ongoing eruption at Kīlauea Volcano on Hawai‘i Island gets its supply of lava from two small sources beneath the earth’s crust, not one large one. Based on his estimates, the capacity of the magma chambers means there would be a limited supply if magma stops flowing from below. “It’s encouraging that the amount of magma down there is relatively small,” Pietruszka said. “If the supply ceased today, without new replenishment, the most an eruption could last would be five years.”

Read more about in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (subscription required).