Hawaii Kilauea Volcano Drainhole Gas Pistons Daytime USGS

Loading...

Sign in or sign up now!
Alert icon
Upgrade to the latest Flash Player for improved playback performance. Upgrade now or more info.
887 views
Loading...
Alert icon
Sign in or sign up now!
Alert icon

Uploaded by on Jan 23, 2011

http://www.FunToWatch.TV A very interesting phenomenon seen at Kilauea is "gas pistoning". It is caused by the accumulation of gas beneath a column of lava, such as in Pu`u `O`o's crater vents. As the accumulated gas rises, it pushes up the overlying lava (the "piston"). When the gas bubble reaches the surface, it bursts, sometimes as a forceful jet of fume and spatter. The lava then drains back into the vent. Gas pistons come in a range of sizes, dependent on the size of the gas bubble, and can occur as single events or as a repeating series of events. During late Spring of 2006, the Drainhole vent in Pu`u `O`o crater was hosting nearly continuously repeating gas pistons. This movie sequence from June 3, showing a series of three gas pistons, is a brief example of the gas pistoning that was occurring at that time. The vent opening seen here is about 8 meters across, and is inset within the greater Drainhole pit which is about 30 to 40 meters across.
June 3, 2006 10:45:03 to 12:20:03
(1 hours 35 minutes and 0 seconds -- 1 frame per minute)
Video Credit: U.S. Geological Survey Department of the Interior/USGS

  • likes, 0 dislikes

Link to this comment:

Share to:
see all

All Comments (0)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
Loading...

Alert icon
0 / 00Unsaved Playlist Return to active list
    1. Your queue is empty. Add videos to your queue using this button:
      or sign in to load a different list.
    Loading...Loading...Saving...
    • Clear all videos from this list
    • Learn more