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Perched Lava Channel - July 21, 2007 Eruption (November 15, 2007)

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Detailed Description

Just after midnight on July 21, 2007, a new fissure eruption broke out on the eastern flank of the Pu'u 'O'o cone (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/pressreleases/pr07_21_07.html). Activity quickly focused on the easternmost fissure—Fissure D—and lava began flowing to the northeast (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/archive/2007_09_08.html) eventually creating a lava channel perched up to 45 meters (150 ft) above the pre-existing lava surface. At times, narrow sections of the lava channel crusted over to form a series of four distinct pools along the length of the channel. This video, from November 15, 2007, shows the slow flow of lava northward (to the left) down the length of the uppermost pool (pool 1). Interestingly, the lava channel also behaved somewhat like a lava pond, with the piston-like rise and fall of the lava surface due to the accumulation and subsequent release of gas within the lava.

The images that comprise this video were acquired by a time-lapse camera positioned just below the eastern rim of Pu'u 'O'o, about 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles) west of the perched channel. The image acquisition rate was 1 frame every minute, and the resulting video is played at 10 frames per second.

Details

Length:
00:00:24

Sources/Usage

Public Domain.