A video of a lava stream from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano pouring into the Pacific Ocean was released by the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Kilauea is the most active of the five volcanoes on the island, erupting continuously since 1983.
The video shows a "firehose" of lava looks like a waterfall as it pours into the ocean. National Geographic reports that the phenomenon started when a portion of land collapsed last December 31. Around 26 acres of lava delta broke off and collapsed into the ocean. When this happened, a lava tube was exposed and what started out as a drizzle of lava converged together forming a massive stream measuring about two meters in width.
The lava is seen gushing from a crack in the cliff, which is a cause for concern as this makes the area unstable. Despite this, a team of scientists went to the site on January 28 and found a crack of almost 12 inches in the cliff.
Aside from the lava stream, viewers can see in the video that when the lava hits the ocean it causes steam and ash to produce. Aside from that, the heat of the lava coming into contact with the cold seawater causes littoral explosions, which sends some molten lava flying in the air. These occurrences could prove dangerous to both the surrounding land and water in the area, as reported by Yahoo News.
Water activities and hiking are now prohibited in the surrounding areas to prevent any untoward incident from happening. Many people have wanted to see the unusual phenomenon but the National Park Service has restricted the areas.
The Kilauea was said to be formed around 500,000 - 600,000 years ago and has 95 recorded eruptions. Its most recent major eruption happened in 1983. The park surrounding this volcano and the massive Mauna Loa has been a World Heritage Site since 1987.
