September 6, 2022 — Kīlauea Southwest Rift Zone Lava Tree

During the 1823 eruption of Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone, lava contacted a tree. It quickly cooled, insulating the tree for a short time from the lava that continued to flow around it. Eventually, the eruption stopped and the tree burned away, but it left behind this lava tree as evidence of how thick the lava flow had been as well as the vegetation that existed in the area before the eruption. The 1823 eruption is known as the KEAIWA eruption and it was noteworthy for erupting very fluid lava exhibited by this lava tree. You can read more about lava trees and that eruption in this "Volcano Watch" article: https://www.usgs.gov/news/volcano-watch-tis-season-tinsel-and-trees-cel…. USGS image by K. Mulliken.