Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Smoldering hills

This is the Puu Oo cinder cone of Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. It has been erupting continuously since 1983. At this time, most of the lava flowing out of the cone is underneath a covering of hardened lava. You can still tell where the lava is though because of the steam that is created as it flows. These steam plumes were at least a thousand feet tall and stretched for over a mile. The helicopter in the upper right can give you some sense of scale. It is the same distance away as the steam and flying at nearly two thousand feet. You can also see a mini tornado of steam right in the middle.

Smoldering hills

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