The Volcano

The Volcano was Originally Posted on May 13, 2015 by lavarock

Because we have had some recent activity (quakes and flows) I decided to visit the volcano tonight. Actually “visit the volcano” is a bit of a misnomer because the island is comprised of 5 volcanoes and only one is actually active with lava flows at the moment.

Inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is Halemaumau crater which has lava in the crater. You used to be able to drive up to the rim, however after an explosion a few years ago, they have blocked the road. Now the closest visitors get is about 1 mile to the lava.

The crater has a lava lake with 2,000 degree F lava in it. A mile away you can hear a roar of air being super-heated. The glow of the liquid rock lights up the steam, smoke and sky above the crater. You can see the glow of the crater many miles away.

The temperature where I was standing was a crisp 55 degrees F.