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Aerial view of a flow being erupted from one of the rootless shields active above the main lava tube downslope form Pu`u `O`o. Width of view is 75-100 meters. The shiny crust indicates that it is very hot. A rootless shield is a pile of lava flows built over a lava tube rather than over a conduit feeding magma from within the earth. Rootless shields along the tube system commonly have a flat top containing a shallow lava pond.
Two views on the ground of a crusted flow moving away from a rootless shield. This kind of moving flow is often called slabby pahoehoe, though the term pahoehoe should be reserved for the solidified flow only.
Two views on the ground of a crusted flow moving away from a rootless shield. This kind of moving flow is often called slabby pahoehoe, though the term pahoehoe should be reserved for the solidified flow only.