Lava from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has been spewing for over a month, but the thick, slow-moving lava has taken a new shape, transforming into a wide, hot, flowing river of lava traveling long distances. The 2100-degree lava is flowing together into a molten red river running 9 miles from the fissure into the ocean at Kapoho. The transition into fast-paced lava moving about 200 yards per hour seen Monday is due the location of the fissure.
The fissure, the 8th of 24 fissures, is located in the lower east rift zone near Leilani Estates. The magma under the surface in this area is hotter, more fluid and less crystallized. “The whole lower east rift zone has a plumbing system two miles below surface and it is delivering hotter magma at fissure 8, which is giving runnier lava that’s flowing to the ocean,” said Charles Mandeville, program coordinator for volcano hazards program at United States Geological Survey. READ MORE
