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The ocean entry: Lava pours into the ocean near Kamokuna. At times the ocean entry is quiescent, like this image shows. At other times... |
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Fireworks: At other times the lava explodes when it meets the sea. This is often due to water entering the lava tube and flashing to steam. |
Celebrating at the coast: Me, enjoying a great day at the ocean entry. |
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A lavafall: Elsewhere on the same shoreline, lava pours over the pali (cliff) en route to the ocean. |
No Parking: Anything that moves can pretty easily escape a Kilauea lava flow. Not so things that can't walk away. This sign was originally surrounded by a thin pahoehoe flow that later inflated to its current thickness. |
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The Waha`ula Heiau: Another thing that couldn't walk away was the Waha`ula heiau (temple). When Pele first approached the heiau in 1990, she spared the temple but destroyed the areas where people used to sit when the heiau was active. Two months after this photo was taken, Pele returned and destroyed the temple. |
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Pele stops: Lava approached the heiau from all four sides but stopped at the base each time. Elsewhere in the area, the lava flowed faster and farther, indicating that Pele chose not to destroy the heiau at this time. |
Toothpaste lava: Sometimes lava flows out of a tube in such a way that the top is scraped by the tube's top. This is called toothpaste lava. It has a relatively viscous texture...between pahoehoe and a`a. This particular flow, photographed in 1997, transitions to a`a on the sides. |
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Diamond Head: An aerial view of Diamond Head crater on O`ahu. Diamond Head is a rejuvenation stage volcanic feature that erupted over a million years after the Ko`olau volcano had passed over the Hawaiian hot spot. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly when Diamond Head erupted (not sure if anyone does.) If anyone knows, drop me an email so I can fill this in. |
Hanauma Bay: Other rejuvenation stage volcanic features on O`ahu include Hanauma Bay (excellent SCUBA diving) and Koko crater. Both are shown here, seen out the window on a flight to Maui. |
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FIRE IN THE HOLE: My volcano seismology class joined the USGS for a seismic reflection survey on Kilauea. We dug something like 200 holes in the tephra, detonated shotgun shells in them, and filled 'em back up. My favorite part was hollering "fire in the hole!" each time we exploded something. Really, it was part of my job. No joke. This photo shows Tom Burdette, USGS explosives expert, detonating a shotgun shell beneath his feet, the flank of Mauna Loa in the background. |
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