UH Hilo’s Geoarchaeology Laboratory is a hotspot of inter-departmental research on campus
The lab, founded in 2004, specializes in geochemical analysis of stone artifacts and volcanic rock from the Pacific.
By Samantha Dane/UH Hilo Stories.
Among the many labs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, the Geoarchaeology Laboratory is a hotspot of inter-departmental research on campus.
The lab, founded in 2004 by Professor of Anthropology Peter Mills, and later joined by Professor of Geology Steven Lundblad, specializes in geochemical analysis of stone artifacts and volcanic rock from the Pacific. The type of work done in the lab quickly made impacts in field of archaeology, namely through the type of technology used in artifact analysis.
Traditional archaeological techniques often rely on the partial or full destruction of an artifact to better study it, such as drilling or slicing away pieces to get a better look at the composition and formation of the rocks. But Mills had seen non-destructive analysis techniques during his graduate studies at University of California, Berkeley, using an Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometer.
After Mills arrived at UH Hilo’s anthropology department in 1997, he proposed the idea of acquiring EDXRF technology for the university, something he thought would also appeal to the geology department.
“There are plenty of places where you just don’t want the scientists going and then damaging what it is that you’re supposedly enamored with and what that you’re trying to learn from,” Mills says as he shows a piece of an adze he’s been studying: a fragment recovered by a local archaeology firm. He’s used the lab’s EDXRF to analyze the chemical makeup of the stone, which then gives insights into the stone’s volcanic origins.
Although it’s a small fragment of adze material, the machine could easily accommodate a larger artifact — no saws attached, no harm done. This type of non-destructive research is something that also sits right in line with the university’s mission of respecting and preserving Hawaiian culture.
Teamwork and collaboration between archaeology and geology
Professor Mills’s areas of expertise and research are in archaeology, colonialism in the Pacific, stone tool analysis, and heritage management. Professor Lundblad’s areas of expertise and research are in geochemistry, notably in active lava flows on Hawaiʻi Island, but also — and here’s the commonality with Mills’s work — investigating the chemical composition of Hawaiian stone tools.
Each volcano has a somewhat unique chemical signature that Lundblad and Mills have been able to narrow down through their analysis. For example, a koʻi (adze) from Kauaʻi could be traced back to a quarry on Maunakea, providing unique insight into how ancient Hawaiians interacted and moved between islands.
In addition to analyzing unique geochemical signifiers that aid in tracking down the geologic origins of various artifacts, the EDXRF is also ideal for the study of subtly changing volcanic conditions between and during eruptions.
A large part of the geochemical analysis being done at the lab centers around the active volcanoes of Hawaiʻi Island. Utilizing a variety of techniques, changes within lava composition during eruptions can be tracked and studied over time. It also paints a moving picture of the volcanics that continue to shape the island from deep within the earth.
This analysis isn’t just to monitor changes in magma composition over the years, though. The analysis of volcanic rock with the EDXRF can be done quite quickly, in near-real-time while an active lava event is underway.
“We’ve really tried to, for the vulcanology part of what we do, have that rapid response, because we live on islands,” says Lundblad.
- See recently published study on this type of fast analysis by Lundblad, Mills, and UH Hilo co-authors Assistant Professor of Geology Elisabeth Gallant, Geology Lecturer Cheryl Gansecki, Education Specialist (Geology) Meghann Decker and other colleagues: Near-real-time geochemical monitoring of Hawaiian volcanoes using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) (2025, Bulletin of Volcanology)
During the 2018 Puna eruption, for example, samples collected from the initial eruption were run within the day, providing invaluable information on properties like the fluidity of lava flow, informing evacuation timeframes and civil defense strategies.
The near-real-time analysis of this particular eruption was very interesting because the composition of flows had barely changed in years (older, colder), and then came the May 2018 event and the EDXRF detected a dramatic change of younger, hotter, magma coming in that moved much faster. This information was extremely important for evacuation decisions. Learn more about the lab’s response to this event in the video below.
Lab awarded nearly $1M for upgrades
Recently, the Geoarchaeology Laboratory received nearly one million dollars in federal funding, which will be used to greatly expand the lab’s capabilities and help to upgrade some of the older machinery.
- UH Hilo geoarchaeology lab awarded nearly $1M to support rapid, cost-effective analysis of volcanic eruptions (Jan. 26, 2026, UH Hilo Stories)
Replacing the current 12-year-old EDXRF is first on their list of priorities.
“This one is no longer being serviced by the company, so if something goes wrong with this, which it will, then it’s a big paperweight,” Lundblad says.
In addition, the lab will acquire a new portable XRF, which has a lower range of functionality than the benchtop EDXRF, but it opens a whole new world for on-the-go XRF analysis; from museum collections to samples from the field that are simply too large or numerous to take back to the lab.
The researchers also plan to buy a new scanning electron microscope (SEM). New SEMs come fitted with detectors that allow for advanced chemical analysis, allowing them to analyze data that previously took weeks to send out from the comfort of their own lab. The current SEM, still functional, will continue to be used for imaging and teaching purposes on campus.
Pathway for students into the workforce
A big focus for Mills and Lundblad is integrating the work done at the geoarchaeology lab into their teaching.
“There are the research projects that occur, but also the teaching part of this, too,” says Lundblad. “We try to mesh those together.”
A key part of the lab is providing the resources for students at the university to get involved and learn more about geoarchaeology, whether that’s from being involved in the research in the lab or through an intro geology or archaeology class.
“Our students can really get the sense we’re doing the real science right here, and we’re getting the results more efficiently,” says Mills.
It’s important to Mills and Lundblad that students are aware of the opportunities available to them through the lab, which can be used as pathways to numerous archaeology positions in Hawaiʻi post-graduation.
“We can set up these conveyor belts where students here at the university are working with people who are professionally doing work, whether that’s geology or archaeology in the field, to get students from here out and into those positions.” says Mills.
Through their dedicated work over the past 20-plus years, Mills and Lundblad have continued to push the limits of great geoarchaeology practice, all while encouraging a new generation of students to do the same.
Story by Samantha Dane, a biology major at UH Hilo.
