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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2005

Dating floodplain sediments using tree-ring response to burial

Floodplain sediments can be dated precisely based on the change in anatomy of tree rings upon burial. When a stem of tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima) or sandbar willow (Salix exigua) is buried, subsequent annual rings in the buried section resemble the rings of roots: rings become narrower, vessels within the rings become larger, and transitions between rings become less distinct. We combined observations of these changes with tree-ring counts to determine the year of deposition of sedimentary beds exposed in a 150-m-long trench across the floodplain of the Rio Puerco, a rapidly filling arroyo in New Mexico. This method reliably dated most beds thicker than about 30 cm to within a year of deposition. Floodplain aggradation rates varied dramatically through time and space. Sediment deposition was mostly limited to brief overbank flows occurring every few years. The most rapid deposition occurred on channel-margin levees, which migrated laterally during channel narrowing. At the decadal timescale, the cross-section-average sediment deposition rate was steady, but there was a shift in the spatial pattern of deposition in the 1980s. From 1936 to 1986, sediment deposition occurred by channel narrowing, with little change in elevation of the thalweg. After 1986 sediment deposition occurred by vertical aggradation. From 1936 to 2000 about 27 per cent of the arroyo cross-section filled with sediment. The rate of filling from 1962 to 2000 was 0-8 vertical m/decade or 85 m2/decade. Published in 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Earth Surface Processes and Landforms↗
USGS2011

The Christiansen Effect in Saturn's narrow dusty rings and the spectral identification of clumps in the F ring

Stellar occultations by Saturn’s rings observed with the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft reveal that dusty features such as the F ring and the ringlets in the Encke and the Laplace Gaps have distinctive infrared transmission spectra. These spectra show a narrow optical depth minimum at wavelengths around 2.87 μm. This minimum is likely due to the Christiansen Effect, a reduction in the extinction of small particles when their (complex) refractive index is close to that of the surrounding medium. Simple Mie-scattering models demonstrate that the strength of this opacity dip is sensitive to the size distribution of particles between 1 and 100 μm across. Furthermore, the spatial resolution of the occultation data is sufficient to reveal variations in the transmission spectra within and among these rings. In both the Encke Gap ringlets and F ring, the opacity dip weakens with increasing local optical depth, which is consistent with the larger particles being concentrated near the cores of these rings. The Encke Gap ringlets also show systematically weaker opacity dips than the F ring and Laplace Gap ringlet, implying that the former has a smaller fraction of grains less than ∼30 μm across. However, the strength of the opacity dip varies most dramatically within the F ring; certain compact regions of enhanced optical depth lack an opacity dip and therefore appear to have a greatly reduced fraction of grains in the few-micron size range. Such spectrally-identifiable structures probably represent a subset of the compact optically-thick clumps observed by other Cassini instruments. These variations in the ring’s particle size distribution can provide new insights into the processes of grain aggregation, disruption and transport within dusty rings. For example, the unusual spectral properties of the F-ring clumps could perhaps be ascribed to small grains adhering onto the surface of larger particles in regions of anomalously low velocity dispersion.

Icarus↗
USGS2021

Wetland selection by female Ring-Necked Ducks (Aythya collaris) in the Southern Atlantic Flyway

On the wintering grounds, wetland selection by waterfowl is influenced by spatiotemporal resource distribution. The ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris) winters in the southeastern United States where a disproportionate amount of Atlantic Flyway ring-necked duck harvest occurs. We quantified female ring-necked duck selection for wetland characteristics during and after the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 waterfowl hunting seasons using discrete choice modeling under a Bayesian framework. Relative probability of selection was primarily influenced by characteristics at the local wetland scale. Relative probability of selection was higher for flooded agriculture and vegetated wetlands than open water and was positively influenced by wetland area during the winter. After the hunting season, the relative probability of selection decreased for flooded agriculture but increased for vegetated wetlands, and the effect of wetland area decreased in magnitude. We attribute changes in selection during and after the hunting season to dietary shifts related to migratory preparation, resource depletion, and reproductive pairing. Understanding the wetland characteristics that wintering waterfowl select, and the spatial scale at which selection occurs, is important for informing effective wetland management and waterfowl harvest practices.

Florida, Georgia↗
USGS1975

Tungsten anomalies in the Uyaijah ring structure, Kushaymiyah igneous complex, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Section A, Geology and geochemistry of the Uyaijah ring structure; Section B, Regional geophysics

Anomalous amounts of tungsten, molybdenum, and bismuth are present in the Uyaijah ring structure of the Kushaymiyah igneous complex in the eastern part of the Precambrian shield of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The complex includes four major rock units, the Murdama Group, porphyritic granodiorite, quartz monzonite, alkaline granite, and areas enriched in silica. Structural and compositional relationships among some of the rock units are defined in part by aeromagnetic and gamma-ray spectrometric geophysical data. Geochemical data from -10 +30 mesh surficial debris were primarily related to the composition of the major rock units, whereas data from heavy-mineral concentrates were used to establish the location of tungsten-molybdenum-bismuth anomalies. Two areas of about 40 sq km each are occupied by tungsten-molybdenum-bismuth anomalies interpreted to be related to the alkaline granite. One of these is a contact metasomatic anomaly; the other is related to leakage from an inferred underlying cupola of the alkaline granite. These two anomalous areas are recommended for further investigation

Open-File Report↗
USGS1987

Basin-ring spacing on the Moon, Mercury, and Mars

Radial spacing between concentric rings of impact basins that lack central peaks is statistically similar and nonrandom on the Moon, Mercury, and Mars, both inside and outside the main ring. One spacing interval, (2.0 ?? 0.3)0.5D, or an integer multiple of it, dominates most basin rings. Three analytical approaches yield similar results from 296 remapped or newly mapped rings of 67 multi-ringed basins: least-squares of rank-grouped rings, least-squares of rank and ring diameter for each basin, and averaged ratios of adjacent rings. Analysis of 106 rings of 53 two-ring basins by the first and third methods yields an integer multiple (2 ??) of 2.00.5D. There are two exceptions: (1) Rings adjacent to the main ring of multi-ring basins are consistently spaced at a slightly, but significantly, larger interval, (2.1 ?? 0.3)0.5D; (2) The 88 rings of 44 protobasins (large peak-plus-inner-ring craters) are spaced at an entirely different interval (3.3 ?? 0.6)0.5D. The statistically constant and target-invariant spacing of so many rings suggests that this characteristic may constrain formational models of impact basins on the terrestrial planets. The key elements of such a constraint include: (1) ring positions may not have been located by the same process(es) that formed ring topography; (2) ring location and emplacement of ring topography need not be coeval; (3) ring location, but not necessarily the mode of ring emplacement, reflects one process that operated at the time of impact; and (4) the process yields similarly-disposed topographic features that are spatially discrete at 20.5D intervals, or some multiple, rather than continuous. These four elements suggest that some type of wave mechanism dominates the location, but not necessarily the formation, of basin rings. The waves may be standing, rather than travelling. The ring topography itself may be emplaced at impact by this and/or other mechanisms and may reflect additional, including post-impact, influences. ?? 1987 D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Earth, Moon and Planets↗
USGS2008

A close look at Saturn's rings with Cassini VIMS

Soon after the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft entered orbit about Saturn on 1 July 2004, its Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer obtained two continuous spectral scans across the rings, covering the wavelength range 0.35-5.1 ??m, at a spatial resolution of 15-25 km. The first scan covers the outer C and inner B rings, while the second covers the Cassini Division and the entire A ring. Comparisons of the VIMS radial reflectance profile at 1.08 ??m with similar profiles at a wavelength of 0.45 ??m assembled from Voyager images show very little change in ring structure over the intervening 24 years, with the exception of a few features already known to be noncircular. A model for single-scattering by a classical, many-particle-thick slab of material with normal optical depths derived from the Voyager photopolarimeter stellar occultation is found to provide an excellent fit to the observed VIMS reflectance profiles for the C ring and Cassini Division, and an acceptable fit for the inner B ring. The A ring deviates significantly from such a model, consistent with previous suggestions that this region may be closer to a monolayer. An additional complication here is the azimuthally-variable average optical depth associated with "self-gravity wakes" in this region and the fact that much of the A ring may be a mixture of almost opaque wakes and relatively transparent interwake zones. Consistently with previous studies, we find that the near-infrared spectra of all main ring regions are dominated by water ice, with a typical regolith grain radius of 5-20 ??m, while the steep decrease in visual reflectance shortward of 0.6 ??m is suggestive of an organic contaminant, perhaps tholin-like. Although no materials other than H2O ice have been identified with any certainty in the VIMS spectra of the rings, significant radial variations are seen in the strength of the water-ice absorption bands. Across the boundary between the C and B rings, over a radial range of ???7000 km, the near-IR band depths strengthen considerably. A very similar pattern is seen across the outer half of the Cassini Division and into the inner A ring, accompanied by a steepening of the red slope in the visible spectrum shortward of 0.55 ??m. We attribute these trends-as well as smaller-scale variations associated with strong density waves in the A ring-to differing grain sizes in the tholin-contaminated icy regolith that covers the surfaces of the decimeter-to-meter sized ring particles. On the largest scale, the spectral variations seen by VIMS suggest that the rings may be divided into two larger 'ring complexes,' with similar internal variations in structure, optical depth, particle size, regolith texture and composition. The inner complex comprises the C and B rings, while the outer comprises the Cassini Division and A ring. ?? 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Icarus↗
USGS1978

Formation of lunar basin rings

The origin of the multiple concentric rings that characterize lunar impact basins, and the probable depth and diameter of the transient crater have been widely debated. As an alternative to prevailing “megaterrace” hypotheses, we propose that the outer scarps or mountain rings that delineate the topographic rims of basins—the Cordilleran at Orientale, the Apennine at Imbrium, and the Altai at Nectaris—define the transient cavities, enlarged relatively little by slumping, and thus are analogous to the rim crests of craters like Copernicus; inner rings are uplifted rims of craters nested within the transient cavity. The magnitude of slumping that occurs on all scarps is insufficient to produce major inner rings from the outer. These conclusions are based largely on the observed gradational sequence in lunar central uplifts:. from simple peaks through somewhat annular clusters of peaks, peak and ring combinations and double ring basins, culminating in multiring structures that may also include peaks. In contrast, belts of slump terraces are not gradational with inner rings. Terrestrial analogs suggest two possible mechanisms for producing rings. In some cases, peaks may expand into rings as material is ejected from their cores, as apparently occurred at Gosses Bluff, Australia. A second process, differential excavation of lithologically diverse layers, has produced nested experimental craters and is, we suspect, instrumental in the formation of terrestrial ringed impact craters. Peak expansion could produce double-ring structures in homogeneous materials, but differential excavation is probably required to produce multiring and peak-in-ring configurations in large lunar impact structures. Our interpretation of the representative lunar multiring basin Orientale is consistent with formation of three rings in three layers detected seismically in part of the Moon—the Cordillera (basin-bounding) ring in the upper crust, the composite Montes Rook ring in the underlying, more coherent “heald” crust, and an innermost, 320-km ring at the crust-mantle interface. Depth-diameter ratios of 1 10 to 1 15 "> 110 to 115 are consistent with this interpretation and suggest that volumes of transient cavities and hence of basin ejecta may be considerably greater than commonly assumed.

Icarus↗
USGS2025

Summary of first daily ring formation in otoliths of freshwater fishes in the continental United States

Daily ring counts in young-of-the-year fishes are important for estimating important vital rates, such as growth, mortality, and timing of hatch. To accurately estimate some of these rates, the timing of the first daily ring must be estimated accurately. Variation in the timing of the first daily ring can be attributed to many factors, including biology of the species and experience of laboratory personnel. The amount of variation and the degree of differences, however, have not been quantified, hindering the utility of daily ring information to provide accurate estimates of spawning and hatching times. We conducted a review of studies for freshwater fishes in the continental United States to quantify variation in daily ring validation studies as it relates to timing of the first ring. We found 40 studies representing 12 orders, 15 families, and 35 species. Most studies investigated rings in the sagittae, although the lapilli and asterisci were also used for a few species. Variation in the timing of the first ring formation was evident, but not consistent among otolith types or groups of fishes. The first daily ring in sagittae varied from 31 d before hatch to 150 d after hatch. First daily ring formation in lapilli was consistent within families but formed before hatch in some families of fish and after hatch in other families. The first daily ring in asterisci were near universally formed after hatch, with the exception of one species of sturgeon (family Acipenseridae). Only three of the nine species where replicate studies existed were found to exhibit consistent first ring formation timing. Such findings suggest that differences among laboratories and personnel may play a larger role than differences among species or populations when inconsistent first ring formation timing results occur. For most species, error surrounding differences in timing formation is about 1 week, except for Salmoniformes, where error was up to a 150-d difference. Incorporating species biology along with uncertainty in temporal estimates based on otolith chronology would aid interpretation of results in field situations.

continental United States↗
USGS2007

Saturn's dynamic D ring

The Cassini spacecraft has provided the first clear images of the D ring since the Voyager missions. These observations show that the structure of the D ring has undergone significant changes over the last 25 years. The brightest of the three ringlets seen in the Voyager images (named D72), has transformed from a narrow, <40-km wide ringlet to a much broader and more diffuse 250-km wide feature. In addition, its center of light has shifted inwards by over 200 km relative to other features in the D ring. Cassini also finds that the locations of other narrow features in the D ring and the structure of the diffuse material in the D ring differ from those measured by Voyager. Furthermore, Cassini has detected additional ringlets and structures in the D ring that were not observed by Voyager. These include a sheet of material just interior to the inner edge of the C ring that is only observable at phase angles below about 60°. New photometric and spectroscopic data from the ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) and VIMS (Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) instruments onboard Cassini show the D ring contains a variety of different particle populations with typical particle sizes ranging from 1 to 100 microns. High-resolution images reveal fine-scale structures in the D ring that appear to be variable in time and/or longitude. Particularly interesting is a remarkably regular, periodic structure with a wavelength of ~30 km extending between orbital radii of 73,200 and 74,000 km. A similar structure was previously observed in 1995 during the occultation of the star GSC5249-01240, at which time it had a wavelength of ~60 km. We interpret this structure as a periodic vertical corrugation in the D ring produced by differential nodal regression of an initially inclined ring. We speculate that this structure may have formed in response to an impact with a comet or meteoroid in early 1984.

Icarus↗
USGS2023

Using DC resistivity ring array surveys to resolve conductive structures around tunnels or mine-workings

In underground environments, conventional direct current (DC) resistivity surveys with a single linear array of electrodes produce fundamentally non-unique inversions. These non-uniqueness and model resolution issues stem from limitations placed on the location of transmitters (TXs) and receivers (RXs) by the geometry of existing tunnels and boreholes. Poor excitation and/or sampling of the region of interest (ROI) can create artifacts and reduce the resolution of the recovered model. To address these problems we propose the use of an ensemble of ring arrays, which are created by placing one or more electrodes in each face (sidewalls, floor, and ceiling) of the tunnel to form a ring of electrodes at each along-tunnel location. Using a series of increasingly complex synthetic models, we assess the benefits of ring arrays and show that they can be used to better constrain the location and shape of anomalous bodies around the tunnel. Although ring arrays significantly improve the resolution of the recovered model, the size of the comprehensive ring array survey increases rapidly with the number of electrodes used. To balance model resolution and survey size, we developed a physics-based survey design methodology. In this methodology, TXs are selected based upon secondary charge accumulations on a test block that is moved throughout the ROI. Although this survey design methodology does not produce a strictly optimal survey, it balances model resolution and survey size in a practical and computationally efficient manner. Since the ring array more accurately estimates the around-tunnel location of targets and ensures that targets on all sides of the tunnel are detected, it is ideally suited to tunnel-based environments. Our results show that only about 6 % "> 6% of the possible TXs and 0.5 % "> 0.5% of the RXs in the comprehensive ring array survey are needed to retain the improvements in resolution. Therefore, economical ring array surveys can be designed for both reconnaissance and target characterization. Following the inversion of the reconnaissance dataset, additional rings can be added to reduce the inter-ring spacing or off-tunnel boreholes can be added to the region around identified anomalies to increase resolution as required.

Journal of Applied Geophysics↗
USGS1998

Present and future of scientific bird ringing

In 1999 scientific bird ringing will celebrate its first century of existence. Started mainly to investigate bird movements, bird ringing has become a much more flexible method to study different aspects of bird biology. Bird ringing can only be properly organised if an effective international co-operation exists. In Europe, this co-ordination is ensured by EURING, made of 35 national ringing centres; sister organisations exist in other parts of the world (like Africa, Australia, U.S. and Canada), sharing the same aims and problems. This RTD is mainly targeted to ornithologists involved with the co-ordination of bird ringing stations and national centres world-wide. Common aspects of the organisation of ringing activities, as well as of the potential ringing has and will have in the future in addressing major scientific questions in Ornithology will be taken into account. The advisability of setting up a standing committee on bird ringing within the IOC will be discussed, and the project of creating a world-wide organisation of ringing schemes in order to further improve communication and exchange of experiences will also be addressed. This new organisation would be formally founded in 1999, when an international conference organised by EURING to celebrate the first 100 years of bird ringing will be held in Denmark.

Book chapter↗
USGS1999

Present and future of scientific bird ringing

In 1999 scientific bird ringing will celebrate its first century of existence. Started mainly to investigate bird movements, bird ringing has become a much more flexible method to study different aspects of bird biology. Bird ringing can only be properly organised if an effective international co-operation exists. In Europe, this co-ordination is ensured by EURING, made of 35 national ringing centres; sister organisations exist in other parts of the world (like Africa, Australia, U.S. and Canada), sharing the same aims and problems. This RTD is mainly targeted to ornithologists involved with the co-ordination of bird ringing stations and national centres world-wide. Common aspects of the organisation of ringing activities, as well as of the potential ringing has and will have in the future in addressing major scientific questions in Ornithology will be taken into account. The advisability of setting up a standing committee on bird ringing within the IOC will be discussed, and the project of creating a world-wide organisation of ringing schemes in order to further improve communication and exchange of experiences will also be addressed. This new organisation would be formally founded in 1999, when an international conference organised by EURING to celebrate the first 100 years of bird ringing will be held in Denmark.

Book chapter↗
USGS1976

Petrology of the Paloma Valley ring complex, southern California batholith

The Paloma Valley ring complex is one of the numerous plutons that make up the Cretaceous southern California batholith. The complex is composite, consisting of (1) an older, single ring dike and two subsidiary short-arced inner dikes, and (2) a younger set of thin short-arced dikes largely inside the older ring dike. The older ring dike, composed of granodiorite-quartz monzonite, has nearly vertical walls and is elliptical in plan; its long axis (14 km) is oriented west-northwest. It was emplaced in and contains numerous fragments of gabbro. The more than 200 short-arced granitic pegmatite dikes, mainly ranging from 0.2 to 1 m in thickness, define a domal ring dike set with moderately to steeply dipping outer dikes and nearly horizontal inner dikes. The younger dikes cut both the older ring dike and the gabbro. Spatially associated with the younger dikes are bodies of fine-grained granophyre that contain stringers of granitic pegmatite. The granophyre has an Mg content similar to that of the younger ring-dike rock, but contains less K and more Fe. The older ring dike is interpreted to have been magmatically emplaced in an elliptical zone of ring fracturing in gabbro; the magma made room by stoping the denser gabbro with little assimilation. Upon a release of pressure, a set of domal fractures formed, along which volatile-rich magma was emplaced, forming the younger ring dikes. Granophyre resulted from pressure-quenching through a loss of volatiles. Residual volatiles, or volatiles that were introduced later, recrystallized parts of the granophyre and caused the formation of pegmatite stringers.

California↗
USGS2006

Abundance of ringed seals ( Pusa hispida ) in the fjords of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, during the peak molting period

Ringed seal ( Pusa hispida ) abundance in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, was estimated during the peak molting period via aerial, digital photographic surveys. A total of 9,145 images, covering 41.7%–100% of the total fast-ice cover (1,496 km 2 ) of 18 different fjords and bays, were inspected for the presence of ringed seals. A total of 1,708 seals were counted, and when accounting for ice areas that were not covered by images, a total of 3,254 (95% CI: 3,071–3,449) ringed seals were estimated to be hauled out during the surveys. Extensive behavioral data from radio-tagged ringed seals (collected in a companion study) from one of the highest density fjords during the molting period were used to create a model that predicts the proportion of seals hauled out on any given date, time of day, and under various meteorological conditions. Applying this model to the count data from each fjord, we estimated that a total of 7,585 (95% CI: 6,332–9,085) ringed seals were present in the surveyed area during the peak molting period. Data on interannual variability in ringed seal abundance suggested higher numbers of seals in Van Keulenfjorden in 2002 compared to 2003, while other fjords with very stable ice cover showed no statistical differences. Poor ice conditions in general in 2002 probably resulted in seals from a wide area coming to Van Keulenfjorden (a large fjord with stable ice in 2002). The total estimated number of ringed seals present in the study area at the time of the survey must be regarded as a population index, or at least a minimum estimate for the area, because it does not account for individuals leaving and arriving, which might account for a considerable number of animals. The same situation is likely the case for many other studies reporting aerial census data for ringed seals. To achieve accurate estimates of population sizes from aerial surveys, more extensive knowledge of ringed seal behavior will be required.

Marine Mammal Science↗
USGS1973

Tree rings : timekeepers of the past

A casual look at the top of a tree stump reveals that it is composed of a series of concentric rings-tree rings -that become larger and larger in diameter outward from the center of the stump. Because a single tree ring is usually formed each year, the age of the tree at the time it was cut can be determined by simply counting the rings. If the year of cutting is known, the year during which each ring was formed can be determined by counting backwards from the outside ring. Such "dating" of rings may reveal that rings formed during certain extreme drought years are unusually narrow. This has led to speculation that tree ring characteristics may indicate a number of things about past water and climatic conditions.

General Interest Publication↗
USGS1993

Element concentrations in growth rings of trees near an abandoned wood-preserving plant site at Jackson, Tennessee

Multielement analysis was performed on individual annual rings of trees growing at and near an abandoned wood-preserving plant site in Jackson, Tennessee, that operated from the early 1930's until 1981. Numerous organic compounds associated with the wood-preserving process have been detected in soils, ground water, and surface water within much of the site. Tree-ring investigations were conducted prior to investigations of ground water downgradient from the site to determine if trees preserved an areal and temporal record of contaminant movement into offsite areas. Increment cores were collected from trees on the abandoned plant site, in downgradient areas west and south of the site, and at two locations presumably unaffected by contamination from the site. Multielement analysis by proton-induced X-ray emission was performed on 5 to 15 individual growth rings from each of 34 trees that ranged in age from about 5 to 50 years. Concentrations of 16 elements were evaluated by analyzing average concentrations within the 1987, 1989, and 1990 rings of all trees; analyzing element-concentration trends along entire core radii; and analyzing element correlations between and among trees. Concentrations of some nutrients and trace metals were elevated in the outermost sapwood rings of some trees that grow south and southwest of the most contaminated part of the site; small trees on the main part of the site and larger trees to the west generally contained fewer rings with elevated concentrations, particularly of trace metals. Concentrations of several elements elevated in tree rings also were elevated in water samples collected from the reach of a stream that flows near the southwestern part of the site. Multielement analysis of each ring of a willow growing along the southern boundary of the site detected extremely large concentrations of chromium, nickel, and iron in rings that formed in 1986 and thereafter. Relative increases in the concentrations of these elements also were detected in a silver maple growing next to the willow, but not in another silver maple growing 150 meters farther to the west. An oak growing in the southwestern part of the study area contained large concentrations of calcium and several trace elements, and some trees south of the abandoned site contained large concentrations of phosphorus or potassium. Concentrations of trace metals and nutrients in some trees may be related to wood-preserving activities at the site and possibly to remedial efforts conducted during the early to mid 1980's.However, the possibility cannot be discounted that large concentrations of some elements are from sources other than the wood-preserving facility, or in part from flooding of the South Fork Forked Deer River.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2010

Lava tube shatter rings and their correlation with lava flux increases at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i

Shatter rings are circular to elliptical volcanic features, typically tens of meters in diameter, which form over active lava tubes. They are typified by an upraised rim of blocky rubble and a central depression. Prior to this study, shatter rings had not been observed forming, and, thus, were interpreted in many ways. This paper describes the process of formation for shatter rings observed at Kīlauea Volcano during November 2005–July 2006. During this period, tilt data, time-lapse images, and field observations showed that episodic tilt changes at the nearby Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone, the shallow magmatic source reservoir, were directly related to fluctuations in the level of lava in the active lava tube, with periods of deflation at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō correlating with increases in the level of the lava stream surface. Increases in lava level are interpreted as increases in lava flux, and were coincident with lava breakouts from shatter rings constructed over the lava tube. The repetitive behavior of the lava flux changes, inferred from the nearly continuous tilt oscillations, suggests that shatter rings form from the repeated rise and fall of a portion of a lava tube roof. The locations of shatter rings along the active lava tube suggest that they form where there is an abrupt decrease in flow velocity through the tube, e.g., large increase in tube width, abrupt decrease in tube slope, and (or) sudden change in tube direction. To conserve volume, this necessitates an abrupt increase in lava stream depth and causes over-pressurization of the tube. More than a hundred shatter rings have been identified on volcanoes on Hawai‘i and Maui, and dozens have been reported from basaltic lava fields in Iceland, Australia, Italy, Samoa, and the mainland United States. A quick study of other basaltic lava fields worldwide, using freely available satellite imagery, suggests that they might be even more common than previously thought. If so, this confirms that episodic fluctuation in lava effusion rate is a relatively common process at basaltic volcanoes, and that the presence of shatter rings in prehistoric lava flow fields can be used as evidence that such fluctuations have occurred.

Hawai'i↗