World’s Most Impressive Explosions of Lava
The explosive nature of these fascinating geological mountains provide us with a time line of earth’s past, they create chains of living and breathing islands, and they cause deathly destruction to everything they touch.
The violence of a volcanic eruption is based upon many factors including the viscosity of the given magma. (the more viscous, the more violent) Viscosity is a measure of a materials resistance to flow, and the thicker it is, the slower is will flow. This works the same way in our bodies when we are dehydrated. The main reason you feel faint during dehydration is that your blood is thicker and it contains less plasma, which ultimately means it lacks enough oxygen to keep you on two feet.
When we talk about the power of a volcanic explosions, three factors come into play that directly affect the magma:
- Composition
- Temperature
- Dissolved gases
Pahoehoe Lava
Magma is composed of silica which directly controls the viscosity of the magma. The higher the silicon, the more viscous the magma will be, and the explosion will be that much more volatile.
Image from Wiki, Image via Wikipedia
When the silica is reduced, the viscosity decreases, creating a thinner lava like Pahoehoe, which is found in the Hawaiian shield volcano’s located on the island chain.
Only a fraction of the molten material reaches the surface, and when it does it releases not only lava itself, but materials such as gases and pyroclastic materials.
Many people are used to seeing only one type of lava, but there are several different variations associated with certain volcano’s. These variations transform into some fascinating structures.
AA Lava
Block Lava resembles aa lava which has rough, jagged edges and flows in a slow steady pace. The tops of block lava will have tops consisting largely of loose rubble.
Lava Tubes
“Valentine Cave in Lava Beds National Monument. This shows the classic tube shape and the curbs on the wall mark former flow levels.”
Lava tubes are the remnants of caves left behind after flowing underground, breaking down the insides of the geological formations, leaving a tunneled walkway.
Pillow Lava
Pillow Lava are formed when lava congeals underwater, forming a solid rock that resembles a fluffy pillow, hence the name pillow lava. When the lava comes into contact with the temperature change, it immediately forms a skin around it, while the inside cools slowly to produce a finer grained structure.
Lava is an underground marvel that is a living, geological remnant from an active earth. They shed light on Earth’s past, and they provide us with a path for the future.
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25 Responses to “World’s Most Impressive Explosions of Lava”
On March 21, 2009 at 6:47 am
Interesting article! I enjoyed learning about the 3 types of lava … I’ve never seen the stuff up close and personal. Informative, nicely researched.
On March 21, 2009 at 6:52 am
I learned a lot from this, I didn’t realise there was more than one type of lava, very enjoyable. Stunning photos too.
On March 21, 2009 at 7:01 am
A very informative article.
On March 21, 2009 at 7:23 am
Very informative article! I also learn about 3 types of lava! Great pictures
On March 21, 2009 at 9:36 am
Excellent photos and footage!
On March 21, 2009 at 10:03 am
I’ve always loved lava. There’s something almost mystical about it. It’s lovely to watch from a distance… a far, far distance..lol! But the coolest is when it flows into the ocean waters, and you just see heaps of steam, and the water sputtering. It’s awesome. Really loved this article. Thumbs up and a stumble, and a blog…lol!
On March 21, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Great job Lauren! Hope the owner of that house surrounded by lava had insurance.
On March 21, 2009 at 8:40 pm
This stuff is one bad thing to see coming. I would hate to know that I lived by an active volcano. However, it is really facinating to watch. Great pics and presentation
On March 22, 2009 at 2:47 am
Amazing! Another great post, Lauren, thanks.
On March 22, 2009 at 1:10 pm
You must be getting bored of me by now…. blogged!
http://www.webphemera.com/2009/03/world-most-impressive-explosions-of.html
Thanks for a great educational read!
On March 22, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Very interesting .goot photos and you have give us good information about lavas.
On March 22, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Interesting info with wonderful images.
On March 22, 2009 at 8:02 pm
The reason why you feel faint when you are dehydrated is not because your blood is “thicker.” Yes, it is “thicker” because it has lost a portion of it’s plasma volume (or non-blood cell volume), but this “thickness” would be barely perceptible when compared to regular blood when next to each other in containers. It still flows basically the same through the body and carries the same oxygen, even more so per unit of volume because the red blood cells are more concentrated. It’s not as if your blood is so thick it can’t flow through the body. If you have that problem, it is called Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, and with that you have a real problem. Anyway, feeling faint when dehydrated is caused by a shrinking of your total blood volume, but it is because your body is not able to maintain the vascular muscle tone needed to squeeze the blood through your cranial vessels, and you feel changes in consciousness when your brain is not fully perfused.
On March 22, 2009 at 9:21 pm
ah, yeah… very impressive!You have a lot of great ideas! cool
On March 23, 2009 at 5:06 am
Excellent write! The lava tube is very amazing! Explosion of Lava is scarry, but yet very beautiful. I have seen an explosion of Mount Merapi in Central Java many years ago, it is very beautiful when seen from far far away.
On March 23, 2009 at 6:43 am
Stunning but scary. Great article Lauren pics are awesome
On March 23, 2009 at 9:20 am
Wow Dr. Claw…I felt like I was in Anatomy II class for the fourth time this week.lol
In all actuality, the statement I made is still correct. “The main reason you feel faint during dehydration is that your blood is thicker and it contains less plasma, which ultimately means it lacks enough oxygen to keep you on two feet.” I never stated it was just thickess, however the cause of the scenario I used is this :
Dehydration occurs when your body loses too much fluid. This can happen when you stop drinking water or lose large amounts of fluid through diarrhea, vomiting, sweating, or exercise. Not drinking enough fluids can cause muscle cramps. You may feel faint. Usually your body can reabsorb fluid from your blood and other body tissues.
I appreciate the comments, but this article was about Geology not Anatomy and for now I need a break from it, that’s why I am becoming a Doctor of Archaeology, I’m much more interested in mummies. They don’t have these things to worry about. lol
On March 24, 2009 at 1:00 am
Thanks for advertising on my blog. Because of it, you’ve introduced me to your wonderful blog. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your article and loved being educated at the same time.
Thanks for sharing us your knowledge. This is a much better learning format for me than that of a classroom’s.
Tasha
On March 25, 2009 at 2:39 am
wow man thats so freakishly cool… you have done some serious work …very impressive
On March 26, 2009 at 12:19 pm
you seem to be a environmentalist. you have profound knowledge about volcano.
On March 27, 2009 at 12:07 am
This took some research. Volcanos are so fascinating- like the earth’s blood vessels. Enjoyed reading this, Lauren!
On April 7, 2009 at 12:10 am
impressive piece, well done.
On April 16, 2009 at 11:12 am
My son was just asking me about volcanoes last night. After seeing this he is completely hooked on the subject. Nice job.
On April 16, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Very interesting article. However, when lava cools slowly the grain size is LARGER or more coarse, not smaller and fine.
On April 17, 2009 at 9:25 am
Actually #24, that’s not the case with Pillow lava, it’s the other way around. That’s true for regular lava that had direct temperature changes, but pillow lava has a skin that surrounds the inside of the structure changing the compositional materials and grain size.
The magma inside the pillow cools more slowly, so is slightly coarser grained than the skin, but still classified as fine grained.
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