Hawaii Volcanoes

Fire Walking With the Lava Junkies

"We took a helicopter to the rim and hiked about a mile [1.6 kilometers] into the steaming cauldron of Kilauea's Pu'u 'O'o crater to this skylight. Geologists call the skylight the Cookie Monster because it really looks like the shape of the character on Sesame Street."

Plumes of gas escaping from vents as lava meets air

From the helicopter, we saw lava splashing and frothing 50 feet [15 meters] below the surface in these 75- to 100-foot-wide [23- to 30-meter-wide] pools.

Lava breaks out of its shell of hardened, black rock

This is a breakout, or a live surface flow of molten rock. The magma was oozing under the skin of cooled black rock—it's hotter than hell up there. Eventually a buildup of pressure under a certain place will crack the surface over it, and the lava will break out.

The Highcastle lava bench (new land that is formed as lava cools)

This was our final quest—the ocean entry at Highcastle, the holy grail for lava photographers. The lava was coming over the last cliff before entering the ocean.

A lava breakout from newly cooled rock

If I stepped on the gray rock in this photo, it would feel like stepping into a fire. You can pass over it if you move really quickly. You just dance along.

Lava spiraling down a slope

This is wild. As the drops break out down the slope, the pressure moving the lava, pushing on the cooling skin above it, twists the skin into ropes. This is classic pahoehoe lava. Even where I was standing, the temperature underfoot was a few hundred degrees [approximately 150°C] at least, and there are radiant rocks above me.

The deceptive calm of an extremely hot flow

This shot may look like a dreamy day on the side of a volcano, but it was really wicked. I am standing downwind of an a'a flow, which is notorious for emitting an exceptional amount of radiant heat. It was really, truly ferociously hot.

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Comments

Volcanic pics Written by freddiedesai on 2005-10-10 13:23:09 Simply fantastic. These looks like pictures we see in the National Geography Magazine. Really nice pictures.

Written by astha on 2005-10-12 02:57:37 simply gr8

Written by namita_sharma20 on 2006-04-17 11:03:19 [B]gud!!!!!!!!!![/B]

Written by mdvprasad on 2006-04-17 12:57:59 great pics

wow i appreciate Written by kiran248383 on 2006-04-17 21:53:53 wwow this is great i appreciate well done thank u better luck for next one and one

Written by nvraoster on 2006-04-27 13:15:52 super

fantastic Written by hbk_hussain on 2006-04-27 22:32:48 simply gr8 awesome

Hi Friends Written by kamble.datta on 2006-05-09 11:31:32

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by abendsdad2 on 2006-06-11 00:33:14 WOW, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by lrl_rulz993 on 2006-12-09 11:21:31 lovely, intriguing, eyecatchin, breathetakin...yaar i'm out of adjective.. in one word simply out of 1's imaginations.gud.relly nice... there i go again!11111

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by harold on 2007-11-12 03:00:17 too good

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by naresh_m2010 on 2007-11-13 20:00:38 Wow! Great Pics  I never seen before.  thanks funonthenet.com

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by dpk_13j83 on 2007-11-19 17:00:23

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by dpk_13j83 on 2007-11-19 17:05:13

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by dpk_13j83 on 2007-11-19 17:09:06

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by fashion_sum on 2007-11-21 19:16:54 it a very beautifullllll to seeee

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by Taggy on 2007-11-24 16:17:16 AMAZING PICS

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by yusufudeen on 2007-12-05 13:09:22 yes it is very good and with my heart as padak padak padak.. when seeing this photos.

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by hosnynafea on 2007-12-08 03:38:57 oh god ,,how u are great my god?

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by shashisanath on 2008-01-01 16:32:42 horrible scences

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by shashisanath on 2008-01-01 16:34:28 have a grate scences

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by drlskrishnan on 2008-02-02 00:17:08 Wonderful nature.

Hawaii Volcanoes Written by Biochemist on 2009-08-27 13:27:30 These snaps r really nice...

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