Hawaii's fire-spitting lava spectacle
A “firehose” lava stream from the Kilauea volcano shoots out from a sea cliff on Hawaii’s Big Island, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, as seen from a tour boat off the coast.
The massive lava flow is gushing from a tube that was exposed when a huge, 26-acre lava delta collapsed into the ocean at the site on New Year’s Eve.
Lava "firehose"
Another view of the “firehose” lava stream from Kilauea volcano shooting out from a sea cliff on Hawaii’s Big Island, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017.
Lava flow
Lava pours out of a tube on the sea cliff at the Kamokuna ocean entry at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii. This photo was taken Jan. 29, 2017. The lava stream explodes upon impact as it shoots out into the Pacific Ocean below.
A USGS geologist with the Hawaii Volcano Observatory said one of the biggest concerns is a large “hot crack” above the lava tube, running parallel to the sea cliff, making the land susceptible to collapse.
Lava stream
Dramatic lava flows were also captured in 2016, when lava from a volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island crept down miles of mountainside for the first time in three years. The lava dripped into the Pacific Ocean, creating new land and putting on a crackling, hissing, fire-spitting show.
Photos show how the billowy, bright-orange lava pops and sizzles, and reeks of sulfur and scorched earth, as it oozes across rugged terrain and eventually off a steep seaside cliff. When the hot rocks hit the water, they expel plumes of steam and gas - and sometimes explode, hurling chunks of searing debris.
In this August 9, 2016 photo, lava from Kilauea, an active volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, flows into the ocean as seen from a boat operated by Lava Ocean Tours off the coast of Volcanoes National Park near Kalapana, Hawaii.
Molten rock
Visitors look at lava from Kilauea, an active volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, as it flows toward the ocean in Volcanoes National Park near Kalapana, Hawaii, August 8, 2016.
The current lava flow erupted from a vent on the volcano in May and made its way to the sea in late July. Thousands of visitors from around the world have swarmed Volcanoes National Park by land, sea and air to take in the spectacle. They can hike about 10 miles round trip to see the lava, or take a boat or helicopter tour to see the flow.
Lava hits the sea
The 2,000-degree molten rock is from Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Its Puu Oo vent began erupting in the 1980s and periodically pushes enough lava seaward that people can access it.
When the lava touches the ocean, it reacts with the saltwater and produces harmful hydrochloric acid, which wafts into the air, said Janet Babb, a U.S. Geological Survey geologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
The lava then quickly solidifies and creates a new landscape. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Puu Oo vent alone has created about 500 acres of new land since it began erupting a few decades ago. The latest flow, which began in May, has created about 8 new acres.
Hardened lava
A small home sits on private property atop a former lava flow from Kilauea, an active volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, near Volcanoes National Park in Kalapana, Hawaii, August 8, 2016.
People who lost their homes to previous lava flows have begun rebuilding on top of the hardened lava rock.
Dangerous terrain
Volcanoes National Park has seen an increase of about 1,000 to 1,500 visitors per day since the current lava flow reached the sea in late July, boosting attendance to about 6,000 people daily, officials said.
Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane warns the area can be dangerous.
"Pretty amazing"
“It’s pretty amazing,” Pablo Aguayo of Santiago, Chile said. “You start in the middle of the ocean in the darkness, and you end up in this beautiful lava falls.”
Aguayo said he could feel the lava’s heat, and it smelled “super funny.”
“It’s like welding something,” he said. “We have many volcanoes back home in Chile. We have plenty. But nothing like this.”
Lava "waterfall"
Hikers can get close enough that the soles of their shoes get hot. Also, the area is flanked by hardened lava rock as sharp as glass. Many people have suffered lacerations while trying to cross the jagged landscape, Ferracane said.
Lava flow
It’s hard to predict when the volcano will inflate or when the current flow will stop, said Janet Babb, a U.S. Geological Survey geologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. It could slow down any day or keep cascading into the sea for months.
Hot hike
Reaching the latest flow requires a boat, a helicopter or strong legs – the hike to the entry point, where the lava meets the sea, is 10 miles roundtrip on a gravel road surrounded by miles of treacherous, hard lava rock.