Lava
overtopped a seaside cliff in Hawaii sending up stunning steam plumes caught on
film and in pictures by a camera crew aboard a helicopter. The sluggish stream
of molten rock, a sticky form of lava called "pahoehoe," crested the
edge around. Paradise Helicopters in Hawaii flew videographers Ann and Mick
Kalber over the foaming ocean, capturing the formation of the world's most modern
land. The thick lava drops downward, it tears and plops onto cooled rocks below,
building 6 meter towers that look like stalagmites. It was truly beautiful at
night, you could see them glowing because they were topped with hot lava. It
made these very neat-looking towers.
The
lava oozes from rift vents on the eastern flank of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano,
fed by its Pu'u O'o crater. The molten stream is about 4 to 5 feet wide and
travels gradually, advancing only about 1,600 feet in two weeks. The lively
lava flows are within the Kahauale'a Natural Area Reserve, which is closed to
access and can be viewed only from the air or from Hawaii National Park's
Kalapana viewing area. The slow Lava has repeatedly streamed into the ocean
from Kilauea's east rift zone since the volcano started erupting Jan. 3, 1983.
The last time molten rock from Kilauea met the ocean was in December 2011.