Several lines of evidence suggest that the SE flank of Kilauea is failing into the Hawaiian Deep, perhaps driven by recurrent cycles of dike injection and stress build-up within the rift zones and subsequent release by large earthquakes. The PI's propose to acquire full coverage of side scan sonar and swath bathymetry over the SE flank to determine the distribution of faults and landslides, and to interpret its degree of stability, the distribution and scale of mass waste deposits, and the potential for future collapse.
