A little about Lava

A visit to Hawaii Volcanoes national park teaches you a lot about lava.  There are two types of Lava: Pahoehoe and A'A'.         

This is Pahoehoe lava. It is ropey and smooth and is an indication of a slow moving, slow cooling lava flow.

This is A'A' lava.  It is indicative of a fast moving, fast cooling lava flow that rolls down hill quickly and kind of crumbles as it comes down.  It looks like piles of "crunchy rocks."  There are five volcanoes on the big island.  Kohala is a dormant volcano.  Mauna Kea (mountain white) is the highest volcano at 13,000 ft and often has snow on its peak. It is home to 13 observatories from various countries and is considered one of the best places to view the stars on earth. Hualalai, on the western side of the island, is the youngest volcano and has not been active since the 1700's.  Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on the face of the earth. It last erupted in 1984 and most scientists feel it is overdue for eruption.  Last but not least Kilauea - meaning "to spew."  It is the legendary home of the Godess "Pele."  It has been erupting since 1983 when it destroyed the subdivision of Hawaiian gardens and the original visitors center for the national park. 

Volcanic gases continually spew from Halemau'ma'u crater at the Kilauea summit

The current eruption is from this cinder and spatter cone called Pu`u `O`o.  This photo is from a helicopter

 Lava flows down the mountain through these "lava tubes."  The hot lava makes its way to the sea where it creates new land as it hits the water and cools.  Over 500 acres of land mass have been added since Kilauea started erupting in 1983.  This is the

current breakout of lava from the top of the Pu`u `O`o.  On Monday, a farmhouse was destroyed as the lava broke out of the tube and flowed on top of the ground. From the helicopter we could actually feel he heat from the flow. A visit to the volcanoes is awe inspiring.  It gives you a true sense of  the power of Nature.


Thanks for visiting - see you down the road.