Rivers Of Fire.docx

RIVERS OF FIRE 18 FLOWING LAVA GLOWS, SPITS, HISSES, and crackles, and seems to have a life of its own. Lava is magma that has erupted onto the surface. Hot spot volcanoes, such as Kilauea on Hawaii, produce fiery rivers of bubbly, runny lava. Its surface cools to a thick skin, which breaks as more red-hot lava oozes forward underneath. This lava poses little danger to people as it rarely flows faster than a walking pace. However, it can travel great distances and is almost impossible to stop. Some explosive volcanoes, such as Mount St. Helens, Washington, produce a very thick, pasty lava that looks like ash. It moves at a snail’s pace, but can be hundreds of yards deep.

PAHOEHOE FLOW Two types of lava flow have Hawaiian names. Pahoehoe, shown here, flows from a hot spot vent and develops a skin that wrinkles into ropelike coils. Aa spits or tumbles out of the volcano and cools into crumbly, lumpy shapes.