Kīlauea Volcano — Ocean Entry

Aerial view of the active ocean entries at Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone captured during this morning's HVO overflight. An ongoing hazard at the ocean entries is laze. As hot lava boils cool seawater, a series of chemical and physical reactions create a mixture of condensed acidic steam, hydrochloric acid gas, and tiny shards of volcanic glass. Blown by wind, this plume creates a noticeable downwind haze, known as "laze" (short for lava haze). Laze is irritating to the lungs, eyes and skin.