Kilauea Lava Eruption in Hawaii

[gantonski]

what causes it to fling and slosh so much? And what is the density like of it? I feel like there either needs to be a lot of energy to slosh it, or the lava just isnt very dense..

[volcanochaser]

@gantonski The lava in Hawaii is basalt rock which is about three times the density of water. The energy comes from the volcanic gases, mainly water vapor, which are dissolved in the lava supply and were under extreme pressure many miles below. These gases expand violently when they reach the surface. Similar to steam explosions when a pressure vessel ruptures and there is nothing to contain the pressure.

[FLAME4564]

aah but thats where most of you are wrong since part of Hawaii is actualy a volcano itself thats sitting ontop of an active area deep beneath it.

[volcanochaser]

@FLAME4564 Wrong about what? All of the Hawaiian Islands, not just part, are volcanoes which erupted from the same hot spot as the Pacific crustal plate moved over it. Kilauea, Mauana Loa, and Loiihi are still over the hot spot and active.

[Cheesetoon]

i have another question. i was wondering where the hottest lava remains. ive heard that the lava in hawaii is some of the hottest, but on another one of your videos, you said that the lava in hawaii is really close to becoming solid. am i mistaken?

[volcanochaser]

@Cheesetoon I couldn’t find much information about where the higher temperature lavas are found other than the basaltic lavas in Hawaii are in the upper range.

[volcanochaser]

@Cheesetoon When lava comes out of the earth at slightly higher than 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, it is already close to becoming solid. It just happens that that is the “freezing” temperature of lava. This would be similar to water freezing into ice at 32 degrees. Both liquid water and ice water can coexist at 32 degrees until all of the water becomes solid ice.

[volcanochaser]

@Cheesetoon Larger flows hold the temperature better than smaller flows, so a larger flow will be able to travel farther. As the outer edges and the top solidify, it forms a thick crust that insulates the liquid lava underneath and it is able to travel long distances inside self-made tubes without losing much heat. You can see grayish pieces of crust floating on top in many videos, showing that the lava solidifies when it is cooled by the colder air.

[Cheesetoon]

@volcanochaser so is the center of the flow hotter than the outside?

[volcanochaser]

@Cheesetoon Yes, the center is hotter. The bottom is cooled first by the underlying old rock, then the air cools the sides and top and forms a solid crust. The crust insulates the interior and keeps it hot and liquid. You can often see the glowing interior through cracks in the crust.

[Hoplite301]

sweet video bra! Mahalo.

[rogerjulias]

Buy a Wind Muff, your audio is obnoxious!!!!

VVV Hey cgemmola, WTHell does "whach" mean... VVVVV

This e-native generation is borderline retarded when it comes to typing the language, pffft!....

[yukonmike7]

@rogerjulias zip it whiny bitch. is there anything you don't bitch about???? turn down the volume and enjoy the video. shut the fuck up about how others spell. It's none of your fucking business.

[beargyrl]

@rogerjulias pffft? What the hell is that?  You criticize the younger generation, but you are the one lacking maturity with your e-tantrums.

[rogerjulias]

Buy a Wind Muff, your audio is obnoxious!!!!

[cgemmola]

this is so cool to whach that i want to whach it over and over

[altruistichedonist]

how long do lava fountains actually last

[volcanochaser]

@altruistichedonist Depends on how much gas is trapped in the lava and how restricted the opening is. Sometimes there is no fountaining, just gentle flowing of lava.

[UtahMike41]

Terra Firma with a bad case of heart burn.  Sometimes I feel the same way....

[tabanorama]

the color is unbelievable

[shanashawn]

see a lake of fire

[MH20Zone]

dmn how old is this?

[volcanochaser]

This was recorded on July 11, 2007. I always include the date on the video description. The lava lake drained away a few days later and activity shifted about two miles to the east.

[MH20Zone]

@volcanochaser

thnx for reply, r u from Hawaii? I'm like, this happens there ussualy? no alert like from hiding or so alerting ppl to escape or so ....tell me more about it! =o)

[volcanochaser]

Yes, I live on the Big Island of Hawaii. I have added the link to the US Geological Survey which runs the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. The observatory has about 100 monitoring stations scattered throughout the island that relay real time data from the four volcanoes still considered active or dormant. They can detect unusual patterns in seconds and alert the Hawaii Civil Defense. The Civil Defense then takes steps to close roads or evacuate residents from the affected areas.

[MH20Zone]

@volcanochaser

wow that's really interesting, u know i have been played a game called "Test Drive Unlimited" :d which whole story ur drivin on the big island Hawaii its really amazing and like when playing the game it look slike sweet country sweet island, nothing happens sun shines all day all night water so good n so :D but this video showed me lava like first time in real =p any story in whole history of hawaii something BIG happened? =p

[volcanochaser]

Actually, your video game represents the more common daily activities better than the lava vids. Probably more than 99% of the people in Hawaii have never seen lava close up. The lava is usually in very remote areas and I have to hike all day to get to where it is flowing. As volcanoes go, Kilauea is very gentle and the flows are not that big.

[volcanochaser]

The last occasion when lava affected a settled area was in the 80's and early 90's. It destroyed about 200 houses in Kalapana and forced many people to relocate. Because it moves so slowly, nobody was hurt. Before then, it destroyed the village of Kapoho in 1960. Some old footage can be seen here on youtube on these videos. chapter one: NiPLXlaclng, chapter two: qwtDXg-bDM4, chapter three: 7doxURgKWPc, chapter four; 9mOTTBZoezU. Kapoho is shown in chapter three.

[MH20Zone]

@volcanochaser

That's really interesting, but everything is okay at the moment i guess =p like this lava eruption happens once per 10 years?

[volcanochaser]

Lava has been flowing almost continuously since 1983 but it has been confined to the same area where it has already destroyed most of the forest, roads and houses. Right now it is flowing through the Royal Gardens subdivision where only one house remains. I just posted a new video from Feb 3, 2010

[MH20Zone]

@volcanochaser

wow ill check it ! =p imma sub ya so i can be in touch u know =p

[hippydude89]

How near would you have to go untill you die?

[volcanochaser]

Basically, I don't know.  Millions of visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park have gotten within a few feet of lava and none have died from it. The extreme radiant heat from the lava is what keeps them safe. Your body can only stand the heat for so long, depending on how close you are, before you have to turn tail. A few deaths and many injuries are mainly the result from tripping and falling on the rough terrain or collapses of unstable areas. The park gives ample warnings.

[hippydude89]

Damn lol falling into lava has to be the worst death ever =o

[Skyark]

Actually you'd be dead so fast you probably wouldn't even know what was happening lol :P

[ruthnthrni]

@volcanochaser

how can u know that the ground under your feet is solid?

[volcanochaser]

Basically, one never knows if there are any voids below you. In fact, the Hawaiian islands are riddled with old lava tubes. But the roof of the tubes is formed in a natural arch, which is a very strong structure. The only real unstable areas (where some fatalities have occurred) are where the lava is flowing into the ocean and forming a new bench. Since the bench is forming on loose rock and sand, it very often breaks off and slides into the sea along with anybody who was standing on it.

[volcanochaser]

In other areas, the lava may contain a lot of gasses and it may solidify with bubbles just under the surface. These areas are also easy to avoid because it appears frothy and has numerous holes where it has already collapsed under its own weight. The danger in walking over these frothy areas is not that one is going to fall many feet, but that falling through just a few inches will sometimes result in cuts to the lower legs from the sharp edges.

[LoveStar127]

kilauea

[bryon41]

That is so friggin cool. Lava amazes me.

[mcc11505]

Thanks for posting and allowing comments too! Walking back from the vent in the dark was in the top five scariest things I have ever done. I did not carry any camera equipment. XoX

[volcanochaser]

Starting back in time to get out in daylight was always a top priority, specially the one mile from the vent to the forest trail that goes through razor sharp a'a lava. A lot of hikers missed the trail opening and got lost. Fortunately there is good cell reception in this area and they could call for help.

[one0who0hides]

I live on the Big Island and have seen a lot of great volcano events but this video is awesome. I've never personally seen the lava lake "breathing" like you show at the end of the video. Awesome. Thanks.

[minniewinnie58]

Awesome video! Now we know what hell is like? Haha

[Azkamina]

holy crap you're brave!!!

[gnurph]

Awesome. I did the hike out to Pu'u O'o while on vacation in 2002 and it was one of the most miserable hikes I've ever done, but totally worth it in the end.

[CarlLefrancois]

please use a tripod :(

[volcanochaser]

I wish I had, but it's a 12 mile round trip hike through a hot, 100% humidity forest and I take as little as I can.

[CarlLefrancois]

It is constructive criticism, but I suppose it could have been worded more gracefully.

Also, I really should thank you for posting such content on youtube at all. We can't have enough good scientific content on here.

[doom3jocky]

the heat from the lava make ur exuastion worse doesnt it

[volcanochaser]

I usually stay upwind from the active flow so the temperature isn't that bad. It is the long hike and the rough terrain plus carrying a gallon of water, food, rain gear, camera, and lots of other stuff that tires me out.

[doom3jocky]

O.o

[KumukahiHawk]

You are getting an excellent collection of videos and images now.

Be careful out there.....

[ZachKilgore]

thats really cool

[thisdarknotic]

dude,ur brave lol

[volcanochaser]

Not too high, maybe 20 feet. The whole crater is about 1000 feet long by 600 feet wide, so these disturbance on the lake were relatively small. When I was there, the level was stable and the outbursts were just gas bubbles breaking the surface.

[Seiku]

lava going up 20 feet is high to me lol

[RKBrockstheworld]

how high would estimate ejections to be..to give this some scale

[Tony87etna]

Sono molto belli i laghi di lava... mi piace vedere ribollire la lava.