An impressive lava fountain was immortalized during a recent eruption of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. During its formation, it triggers explosive reactions in contact with the cold waters of the Pacific and this spectacle often attracts many tourists.
Kilauea is one of five volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, the largest in the archipelago. It culminates at 1,240 meters and frequent eruptions have shaken it since the 1950s, one of its mouths being active without interruption since 1983. You can see an incredible natural phenomenon there: torrents of lava flowing into the Pacific Ocean.
These fountains of wash can occur when the latter emerges rapidly from an orifice or narrowed fissure in the volcano. They are usually five meters high, but some can go up to 48 meters, as was the case in May 2018.
The lava fountains, a striking spectacle
They are one to two meters wide, some days show a debit impressive and at times exceed a temperature of 1,100°C. Arriving in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, with the difference in temperature, water explosions occur accompanied by huge clouds of smoke. These lava fountains can remain active, for some only a few minutes and for others several weeks, during all the duration of life from the rash.
The authorities regularly warn of a risk of diffusion of gas and lava, even if the surroundings of the volcano are sparsely populated. This show also attracts many hikers who cannot resist going to observe it more closely, despite the danger represented by these eruptions. On several occasions, the cliffs from which the lava fountains emerged crumbled.
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