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Small explosion at Halema`uma`u lava lake (Kīlauea, Hawaii).

Detailed Description

At 9:48 PM on Friday, August 23, 2013, a collapse of a piece of the wall above the lava lake in Halema`uma`u triggered a small explosion. The explosion bombarded the rim of Halema`uma`u around the old visitor overlook with molten gobs of spatter as big as dinner plates. Dense lithic fragments from the collapsed wall, and at least as large as a baseball, were also thrown back out of the vent and onto the rim. These images were recorded by a webcam positioned on the rim of Halema`uma`u (Hawaii), about 120 m (395 ft) above the lake surface.

Sources/Usage

Public Domain.


Hawaiian Volcano Observatory