Embedded in the lava still spewing some 130 feet into the air from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano are green crystals.
Called olivine, these minerals can turn Hawaiian beaches green, and it appears some of the green gems are raining down upon homes ne…
Category: Hawaii
NASA will visit an undersea volcano in Hawaii to figure out how to hunt for aliens
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NASA will soon visit Hawaii’s Lo’ihi volcano, which sits more than 3,000 feet beneath the Pacific Ocean, all in the name of one day hunting for life out in the solar system.
The NASA expedition, called SUBSEA, endeavors to visit underwater volcanoes — which are often rich in colorful mats of microbial life — to better grasp how life might exist in deep, harsh, lightless places in our solar system.
Lo’ihi is an active volcano sitting about 50 miles off the coast of the Big Island.
NASA — which plans to launch the mission in August — will use the rocks and bacteria it collects from the volcano to plan ambitious robotic explorations of these water worlds, should the agency get funding. Read more…
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Lava transforms a Hawaiian bay into a blackened peninsula
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The shallow, tropical waters of the Big Island’s Kapoho Bay are no longer: Satellite images show a bay overtaken by lava, transformed into a black mass of land jetting into the sea.
Lava meeting the ocean is, of course, the way Hawaiian islands grow. Unfortunately, the rumbling flow of lava from the Kilauea volcano engulfed more than 130 homes in the neighborhoods of Vacationland and Kapoho Beach Lots — including the home of the Hawaii County Mayor — before oozing to the beach.
As of June 6, the island’s Civil Defense agency said lava is still actively pouring into the ocean, where it produces dangerous clouds of acidic steam, filled with natural glass particles. Read more…
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View More Lava transforms a Hawaiian bay into a blackened peninsulaWhy Guatemala’s volcano erupted in deadly avalanches, but Hawaii’s hasn’t
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Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego — literally translated to the Volcano of Fire — can be a terrifying mountain.
On June 3, the volcano sent scorching avalanches of swiftly flowing volcanic debris, known as pyroclastic flows, down its flanks, which the Guatemalan government said has so far killed 25 people.
But this is nothing new for Volcán de Fuego.
In recorded history alone, the volcano has erupted more than 60 times, and when it does, it often produces these hot avalanches which — when large enough — can completely bury people and homes. Read more…
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Hawaii hits one month of vigorous lava flows — and shows no signs of relenting
Precisely one month ago, a 500-foot long crack in the ground opened up in Hawaii’s Leilani Estates neighborhood, spewing lava into the air. At the time, volcanologists weren’t sure what might happen next, and whether lava flows would continue through…
View More Hawaii hits one month of vigorous lava flows — and shows no signs of relentingHawaii relies on dirty fuel after lava shutters its geothermal plant
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Hawaii has bold plans to completely ditch fossil fuels over the next few decades, but Kilauea’s lava flows have put a wrench in the Big Island’s ability to harness renewable energy from the volcano.
Earlier this week, lava flows entered the grounds of the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV), a power plant that generates about 25 percent of the island’s power, according to the both the island’s electric company, Hawaii Electric Light, and the state’s Public Utilities Commission.
In anticipation of an unprecedented lava flow into a geothermal plant, the energy facility shut down in early May, and since then has removed flammable chemicals from the site and capped its steaming wells — one of which has already been blanketed in lava. Read more…
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Fine, volcanic glass called ‘Pele’s hair’ has been raining on Hawaii
The eruption from Hawaii’s Mount Kilauea has seen lava oozing from the volcano in stunning, frightening pictures, but it’s also brought about quite the oddity: Falling glass.
It’s called Pele’s hair, and they’re light strands of volcanic glass that h…
Don’t let lava stop you from visiting Hawaii
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The images are downright apocalyptic. With plumes of ash and glowing lava, the area around Mount Kilauea looks more like Mordor than a tropical paradise.
That hasn’t been great for tourism. National Park System economist Lynne Koontz told the New York Times the local economy is losing $455,000 per day.
SEE ALSO: Can I roast a marshmallow over lava?
Still, if you’ve got a plane ticket to Hawaii, there’s no need to cancel your trip — you’ll be fine.
First of all, the Big Island of Hawaii is, well, big. The volcano is erupting on a tiny corner of an island that measures more than 4,000 square miles, which is more than double the area of the entire state of Delaware. Most of the big resorts are in Kona, on the island’s west side. That’s about 100 miles from the volcano. Read more…
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View More Don’t let lava stop you from visiting HawaiiCan I roast a marshmallow over lava?
At more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the lava oozing out of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano will easily toast a marshmallow, but that doesn’t mean you should go out and start making volcanic s’mores.
On Monday, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) explained on T…
The future of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is written in the Big Island’s past
Looming above Kilauea’s glowing lava rivers and explosions of ash, is the most massive mountain on Earth. Measured from its deep ocean base, the Mauna Loa volcano is taller than Mount Everest. It takes up over half of the Big Island.
And it’s a…
Satellites in space see lava pouring from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano
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From the ground, lava pouring from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano can look terrifying.
Over the past few weeks, newly cracked fissures in the ground have allowed fountains and pools of molten rocket to well up to the surface, destroying homes and other structures in the area surrounding the active volcano.
But from space, those fissures and lava flows take on a new look.
#Kilauea lava channels are clearly visible in this #Sentinel2 B image of the #Hawaii volcano from 23 May (crop and full image). Follow @USGSVolcanoes for updatespic.twitter.com/ZSCeL81xEB
— ESA (@esa) May 25, 2018 Read more…
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View More Satellites in space see lava pouring from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano6 oddly mesmerizing live videos of lava gushing from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano
Like moths to a flame, humans are frequently most attracted to what we know is dangerous. And there is no better example of this than the strange, alluring beauty of the lava spewing from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano this May.
On May 4, fissures along th…