Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 Thermal Images
![side by side of thermal images](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/multimediaFile-2172.jpg?itok=ZtzOPhNY)
Detailed Description
What a difference four days makes! These thermal images of fissure 8 fountains erupting on Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone show a few things: 1) The lava fountains have gained height—with the tallest one growing from 150 ft to over 250 ft. 2) A pu‘u (cone) has built up downwind. 3) The amount of material wafting downwind is greater. Scientifically, we know the fountain temperatures are reaching up to about 2040 degrees F (1115 C). The composition of the lava erupted has high MgO (magnesium oxide) values, which comes from olivine crystals that are being pulled from deep in the rift zone.
Sources/Usage
Public Domain.