Hawaii volcano eruption update: LAVA BALLS spotted as Kilauea pours molten rock into ocean
HAWAII volcano Kilauea is seen oozing concentrated amounts of molten rock dubbed “lava balls” into the Pacific Ocean in a stunning timelapse video of the eruption.
By SEBASTIAN KETTLEY
Express.co.uk
Sun, Jun 24, 2018
The erupting Hawaii volcano was filmed along a channel of free-flowing lava in Kilauea’s Lower East Rift Zone.
A timelapse filmed by United States Geological Survey (USGS) scientists caught the clumps of lava headed towards an entry point in Kapoho Bay.
The USGS said: “Geologists captured this time-lapse video of the perched lava channel issuing from fissure 8 on Kilauea’s lower East Rift Zone.
“Rafts of accreted lava move downstream and look like boats moving down a river.
“These are termed ‘lava balls’ or ‘lava boats’, or lava ‘bergs’ according to recent social media posts, and form when portions of the Fissure Eight cone or levees break away and are rafted downstream.
“As they move along in the channel, additional lava can cool to their surface to form accretionary lava balls.”
The news comes after NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold took a photo of the Kilauea lava flows at night from the International Space Station (ISS).
Since eruption began on May 3 this year, lava flows from volcanic fissures in the Lower East Rift Zone have covered more than 9.6 square miles of ground.
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