Americana the Beautiful - One state and wacky festival at a time

The lava temperature is so much hotter than the air, that it actually “freezes” on contact, creating a crusty layer. But that doesn’t stop the activity–the lava continues to flood underneath the layer; just like water flows underneath the top of a frozen lake.

This instant freeze creates stunning formations in the lava fields of Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park.

What’s a Lava Field?

The lava may crust immediately, but it moves underneath that crust with authority and strength, overpowering the weak crust and overflowing onto everything in its path. Sometimes it runs fast, sometimes a slow ooze–that depends on the force of the eruption. Regardless, it covers territory…and sometimes creates new territory: 570 acres have been added to the Big Island from volcanic activity.

The lava fields are the expanse that’s been covered. They are desolate yet stunning. As with any good landscape, it continues beyond what the eye can see, yet this is a vista of destruction. The harsh lava is a stark contrast to the gentle sky.

The artistic patterns from the lava’s movement defy their ruin. In some ways the designs are magnificent; in others they’re banal: I’ve made something that looks like this when I burned a pizza and the cheese melted onto the bottom of the oven. In other places it looks like the top of brownies.

The Will to Grow

More amazing than the annihilation of the plant life that grew here is its capacity to regrow. Out of nowhere–40 years later–sprouts force through the rock, and some greens grow on top of it. Nature outwits nature.

What Does Lava Feel Like?

When walking on it, it feels like rock: sturdy, unforgiving. There are broken pieces, and they feel like freeze-dried Styrofoam. There’s no smell–at least not in this field that’s 40 years old. Trust me, I sniffed those rocks!

The Island is Like Swiss Cheese

When there’s a massive force of lava, it creates a lava tube. Think of an underground subway: it’s a mode of transportation. Once the eruption ends and the lava has flowed through, the tube remains; and it’s a significant feature: 13’h x 600’l with the width to drive two cars side by side. It’s cool and wet inside this practically straight tunnel.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

The Volcano: Where the Lava Starts

Kilauea is the world’s most active volcano and has been erupting continuously since 1983. Lava flows constantly, seeping out of the earth wherever it feels the need–when I was there it was in the middle of nowhere and it was ill-advised to go looking for it. But that’s ok, because a massive crater was active for the first time since it opened in 2008.

First, some context.

This particular volcano is not the mountain you imagine or create for the science fair. That summit collapsed  500 years ago. Instead, you’re in a series of calderas and craters. Think of nesting bowls.  Humans wander around the caldera, the area of the collapsed volcano. It’s the largest of the nesting bowls and 2000 feet deep. The next layer is 425 feet deep; and then within that is a crater that opened in 2008 and is 600 feet wide. The crater reveals an active lava lake. We’ll get to that in a minute.

I’m on one level: the caldera; there’s a second level; and yet a third where you see SO2 gas from the active crater

Steam vents release rain water throughout the park. Standing over them is like standing over a boiling pot of water–you get a facial, but no awful smell like at Yellowstone. It’s hot down there…

How do we know that it’s hot down there? Seismic activity. Sound can go through liquid, not solid. So we know that the Earth’s core is liquid. And we know that it’s liquid everywhere, not just at hot spots like volcanoes, because of seismic tests conducted everywhere. We know that it’s hot because earthquakes give out waves that only go through water, so the core must be water-esque; but we also know that “on top” Earth is rock, so at the core, it must be hot rock and therefore liquid. This liquid is called magma; it’s only called lava when it reaches the surface.

This lesson is brought to you by the letter “s” for “stranger” and  for “scientist.” I asked these questions of the young Park Ranger who couldn’t answer them. An eavesdropping scientist (I believe a geologist) approached me for an education. He was more than qualified: he found ways to discover minerals more efficiently. Or more poetically, he can help you find the mother lode.

Let’s Look at Some Lava, Shall We?

This 600-foot-wide crater opened in March 2008. While I was visiting, it was the most active it’s been since then!

The “smoke” actually isn’t; it’s SO2 gas, ash, and glass. It’s present from the level of the lava lake–the higher the lake, the wispier the gas plumes.

The lava lake levels rise and fall with seismic activity. It was 100 feet below the crater floor–so close, yet so far!

Photo courtesy of the National Park Service

At night, gaggles of people return to see the reflection of the lava glow on the gasses. It’s unearthly. And damn cold. And would be a better picture if I had a tripod.

Hawaii afforded the chance to visit multiple volcanoes–active and dormant. It’s amazing to me that life grows on them and goes on around them. They are either violent, or sleeping giants–sometimes for thousands of years. How dormant is dormant, really?

The power, force, strength, quiet, and breadth of destruction that become a destination and beauty in its own right is overwhelming to me. Volcanoes National Park was one of the most incredible experiences of my travels. I am sorry for the loss it’s incurred; and grateful for the learning it’s inspired.

****

Have you been somewhere where you know that the Earth is alive?