Part II: The lava lake
HAWAI'I PHOTO GALLERY
- Lava lake and pahoehoe lava: impressions from the
VolcanoDiscovery tours in March 2006 -
Part II: The lava lake
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March 2006: The lava lake inside Pu'u 'O'o |
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During the past 11 months, a lava lake has been active in one of the craters inside Pu'u 'O'o. In March, it was violently active, with large fountains, a thin crust and impressive waves on its surface, in constant motion by the fountains. It is about 25m across, 15-20m wide and about 15m below the unstable rims, covered with Pele's hair (reddish-yellowis brown). |
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Views of the lava lake and the divergent boundaries of the thin, soft crust. |
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Lava fountains close up |
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Violent lava fountains, several meters tall, playing at the margins of the lava lake |
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Stalactites and heat glow |
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| Liquid spatter ejected from a fountain hidden beneath the wall to the left. | Trembling stalactites hanging from the roof of the lake. | View onto the northern inner walls of the pond, with an open vent, whose interior is glowing from the heat. | ||
Copyright:
Before using photos of this page elsewhere please contact Tom Pfeiffer.
© Tom Pfeiffer, page set up on 28 March 2006.
