Why Lava Flowing From Kilauea Volcano Is Now Hotter, More Fluid
By Pam Wright
22 hours ago weather.com
00:40 Lava from the Kilauea Volcano is Now Hotter and Moving Faster Things can change over the course of a volcanic eruption.
At a Glance
Scientists say the lava flowing from fissure 8 in the lower east rift zone is about as hot as it gets.
The hottest lava, which can reach temperatures of more than 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit, is yellow.
The upside of the hot, fluid lava flowing from Kilauea now is the natural levees that form, which helps make the flow more predictable.
It's been more than a month since Hawaii's Kilauea volcano began spewing out thick, heavy lava from two dozen fissures that opened up on the Big Island.
In the ensuing weeks, the lava began to transform, taking on the appearance of a steady-flowing river that flowed for miles toward the ocean.
Scientists say this transformation is a result of 2,100-degree magma flowing out of the depths of the earth from fissure 8 in the lower east rift zone near Leilani Estates. For more than 9 miles, the lava is moving toward the ocean at a rapid 200 yards per hour.
Charles Mandeville, program coordinator for volcano hazards program at United States Geological Survey, told USA Today that the magma under the surface in this area is less crystallized and runs hotter and more fluid.
"The whole lower east rift zone has a plumbing system two miles below the surface, and it is delivering hotter magma at fissure 8, which is giving runnier lava that's flowing to the ocean," Mandeville told USA Today.
Lava currently flowing from Kilauea is as hot as it gets at the surface of Earth, USGS scientist Wendy Stovall told reporters earlier this month.
The hottest temperatures on Earth occur at the core of the planet, but nothing from the core ever makes it to the surface. What rises from the depths of the earth during a volcanic eruption is molten rock originating from the mantle, the 1,800-mile thick layer of melton rock beneath the Earth's crust that the consistency of Silly Putty®.
Stovall noted that the lava flowing from Kilauea "is the hottest lava that we’ve seen in this eruption."
"Even just a matter of 50 degrees centigrade makes a big difference in how quickly lava flows can move and how they behave once the magma exits the vent,” Stovall said.
"It can’t get hotter than where we are," she added. "We are pretty much tapping mantle temperatures right now."
(PHOTOS: Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano as Seen From Above)
Scientists can tell how hot lava is by its color. Red lava is considered “cool” at about 1,472 degrees Fahrenheit. Orange lava is typically between 1,472 and 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit. Yellow lava is the hottest at 1,832–2,192 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the USGS.
The upside of the hot, fluid lava flowing from Kilauea is the natural levees that form, which helps contain the lava and makes its flow more predictable.
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This image taken from video on Monday, June 4, 2018, and provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows lava from a fissure flowing into the ocean at Kapoho Bay at Kapoho on the island of Hawaii. After overrunning the town overnight and destroying hundreds of homes, the lava flowed into the shallow bay and had nearly filled it. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
Poster Comment:
I pity the guy who moved to the Big Island to escape forest fires in California.
Slide show at source.