UH Hilo geoarchaeology lab awarded nearly $1M to support rapid, cost-effective analysis of volcanic eruptions
The funding will support the purchase of new, cutting edge technology to expedite rapid, cost-effective analysis of volcanic eruptions, extremely important in rapid response measures for public safety. Archaeological analyses will also benefit from the new equipment.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
The Geoarchaeology Laboratory at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has been awarded $995,000 to help modernize UH Hilo’s volcano monitoring. The funding will be used to purchase new technology and equipment in support of rapid, cost-effective geological analyses, and expand its capabilities in support of archaeological analysis.
The lab is run by Steve Lundblad, professor of geology, and founder Peter Mills, professor of anthropology.
The funding comes from new U.S. congressional directed spending, also known as earmarks, through a joint request by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz and Maizie Hirono, and U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda.
“Big mahalos to the Hawaiʻi delegation, Anthony Ching and the folks at the Federal Relations Office for the UH System, and Nate Wyatt and folks from the Wayfinder Group, for all of the help” in securing the funds, says Professor Lundblad.
Lundblad’s area of expertise and research is in geochemistry, notably in investigating the chemical composition of Hawaiian stone tools (without any damage to the artifacts) and of active lava flows on Hawaiʻi Island. Mills’s areas of expertise are in archaeology, colonialism in the Pacific, stone tool analysis, and heritage management.
- Learn more about Prof. Lundblad’s research (Keaohou website/UH Hilo)
- Learn more about Prof. Mills’s research (Keaohou website/UH Hilo)
The new equipment will not only support rapid, cost-effective analysis of volcanic eruptions — extremely important in implementing informed rapid response measures for public safety — but also the lab’s decades-long mission of offering non-destructive analysis of stone artifacts throughout Polynesia.
“We are very excited to plan for the expanded work we can do with this appropriation,” says Lundblad. “We plan to purchase a new and upgraded Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (EDXRF), a portable XRF to allow us to analyze samples in remote locations, and a new scanning electron microscope (SEM) and upgraded detectors to do compositional analysis.”
“These instruments all have a wide variety of applications, and we hope that faculty and students throughout the university will benefit from access to them moving forward,” he adds. “This is an exciting time to build capacity in these areas, and we hope this funding will provide a foundation for a host of activities across the sciences and beyond.”
Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer
The new EDXRF will be an updated version of the instrument that Mills and Lundblad acquired through a National Science Foundation grant 12 years ago (which was an improved version of the one Mills acquired two decades ago).
“It has reached the end of its expected lifespan, and although still functioning, is obsolete in the sense that there are not ways to replace parts or repair it if it breaks down,” says Lundblad.
The researchers use this instrument extensively to analyze stone tools in the Pacific non-destructively, and also to conduct rapid response chemical analyses of the volcanic products from local activity, like the Kīlauea eruption on Saturday that spewed tephra for miles across Hawaiʻi Island resulting in health warnings and road closures.
“Our students are deeply involved in both of these activities, as the analyses do not require extensive sample preparation and the instrument is relatively easy to operate,” says Lundblad. “Our students in geology and anthropology have therefore been very successful over the years actively participating in research projects in both of these areas, resulting in numerous conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.”
- Lundblad and Mills recently published research: Near-real-time geochemical monitoring of Hawaiian volcanoes using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) (Dec. 10, 2025, Bulletin of Volcanology)
- Learn more about informed Hawaiʻi Island rapid response to volcanic activity made possible by the EDXRF (Sept. 15, 2023/UH Hilo Stories).
Portable XRF
Lundblad explains there are a number of projects that make sample collection difficult in the field, this brings about the need for the portable XRF.
“The new portable XRF will be a great addition to the geochemical toolbox for UH Hilo researchers and students,” says Lundblad. “We also hope to use it in a number of our courses to introduce students to integrating field and lab techniques in real time.”
New scanning electron microscope and upgraded detectors
The new scanning electron microscope will update the existing one acquired around 2008, and will feature updated detectors to produce higher quality compositional analyses of volcanic products.
“We hope that this will allow us to conduct much of the volcano monitoring activity in-house and speed up the time for data collection,” says Prof. Lundblad.
Story by Susan Enright, public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
