Friday, July 11, 2008

HOME OF THE VOLCANO GODDESS

Kilauea has been erupting since 1983 but has ramped up its output of lava since last November. Kilauea is the home of the Goddess Pele and Hawaiians still throw offerings into the crater to appease her. Long strings of molten volcanic glass, called Pele's hair, are blown on the wind forming clumps. As tiny as these are, they are still volcanic bombs. Gas bubbles at the surface throw droplets of fluid melt high into the air where they're chilled into shiny glass globules known as Pele's tears.





Kilauea is a low flat shield volcano, the youngest on the Big Island, situated on the south-eastern side. It pulls magma to the surface from a depth of over 60 kilometres. When the lava lake overflows, it streams towards the ocean over land or through lava tunnels formed when old flows solidify in the air, leaving a hollow tube when the eruption stops. The image above is a lava explosion at Waikupanaha where it enters the ocean.



As the lava enters the ocean, again at the Waikupanaha entry point, vortexes form beneath the steam plume. The entry here is from underground tubes into the Pacific Ocean and is creating huge clouds of steam and ash.


This is exploding lava in the Pu'u O'o vent. It has been measured as high as 150 feet with temperatures up to 1,200 degrees Centigrade. It also creates Vog, thick volcanic fumes which kill wildlife, plants and humans.





13 comments:

Brian Hughes said...

Photograph titles in descending order:

1. Pele's nosebleed.
2. Pele's pubes.
3. Pele's pimple bursting.

Jayne said...

Love the pics, volcanoes are Nature's way of reminding us of Her real power and wrath.

Myst_72 said...

Awesome pics!

G
xx

Anonymous said...

You missspelt fog in the last para Jahteh. You hit the V.

R.H. said...

I am off soon, I will be sailing, my cabin having a nice porthole view of this ridiculous little landscape: Arsehole Albert Park, Stupid Fucking St Kilda, Bonehead Brighton, Old Moll Mentone, Fucked Up Frankston, and Dirty Thieving Portsea.
I will be leaving it, this whole mess, I will be out, on the ocean waves, that's right, all the way down to Tasmania, where Dear Boy Hal Porter got his start. Okay? Because (just on the quiet) I have been voted a holiday by the long table at Werribee. That is true. And plus!- with four-wheel drive car, and plush hotel at Salamanca Place. Get that.
None of you will be there to see me off. How disappointing. At crummy Port Melbourne, "Good morning Naidoo, I'll have the usual thanks, bru-fucking-schetta!" ha ha.
And now, my itinerary; I shall arrive in Devonport 7am, then drive to Hobart, stopping on the way to inspect young women in small towns. Tasmanian Girls.
It intrigues me that there can possibly be good looking girlies in that unheard of stupid little ice bucket. I will find out.
Are there photo arteests in Burnie and was Mt Wellington ever a volcano.

-Robert.
Society for the Preservation of Bum Talent.

JahTeh said...

Sounds like Fleety had a bad day at the oriface.

Another volcano in Chile had a lava flow last week. It seems the ring of fire is getting restless.

Vog it is Andrew, volcanic steam and noxious gases make vog. Nasty stuff.

Robbert, you've been deported to the convict state? Tasmania has it's very own impact crater at Mt. Darwin. Go to Bruny Island for the home made cheese. Local food is delicious.

JahTeh said...

Myst, have you sorted the links yet? New blogger does it all for you and I should know, two years to learn how to hide a link in a post, same time to put up a blogroll.

Anonymous said...

Dang. Why did she have to create Vog?

C.

Be sure to stop off in Campbell Town for a latte Robert.

JahTeh said...

I rather like vog, sounds like our ex PM who surfaced again last week and spread some over the airwaves.

Ann ODyne said...

"an ex PM surfaced"? not Harold?
Bill Bryson called him
"the PM whose swim required no beach towel".

Bruny Island is wonderful.
I bequeathed an item to the captain Cook Museum there. It's in a glass case with my name on it.
Bon Voyage RH - make sure you get one of those clam pies in Ross.

R.H. said...

ICQ
(counting to one hundred)

Going on holiday
Wish you well
Hoping to see you
Before I depart,
You know that old Baptist church
Chapel Street
Now a bistro
Awfully smart,
I'll be out the front
Hoping to see you
Rum and coke
Trams going past.
Out the front
Hoping to see you
-Hide and seek-
Trams going past.

-Robert.

A poet CANNOT afford ONE SINGLE typo in his work. Or it is ruined. Totally.

Bye darlings, loving you is what my heart is for.


Bye....

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I sail tomorrow.

Myst_72 said...

Hello!

I'm thinking about it, I'll give it a go soon - just need to try a bit harder I think....
Just in a whirlwind at the moment - being a TASMANIAN girl I should be all brains since there's not much happening in the looks dept according to r.h. (haw haw!).

G
xx

JahTeh said...

Dys, he'll probably get food poisoning and blame you.

Myst, you'll have to pardon Rh, he's been beaten up a lot in the last week but he does have an eye for a goodly woman. Tasmania may never recover.

Rh, I hate to tell you but you're going in the opposite direction of the Pope's visit or is that intentional?