Thursday, August 10, 2017

The Big Island, Hawaii, is never static.


As of today the Kamokuna lava delta is slowly growing, now up to about 6.8 acres in size. Many coast-parallel cracks are visible on the delta, including a large crack near the center that spans the entire width of the delta. At any time, the seaward side could tumble off into the ocean, and you wouldn't want to be there when that happens.  A few small streams of lava entering the ocean can be seen near the front of the delta.


Only in Hawaii!  Geologists recently came across an old lava tube system that has been partly filled with episode 61g lava. Most of the cooled lava cascades were intact and sitting on top of rubble from the caved-in roof of the abandoned tube. The opening in the tube (right) was partially filled with new lava, but was still roughly 10 feet high.  The temptation to crawl inside and look around would be irresistible, if it were me that found this.

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