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Lava Flow In Hawaii Gains Speed, Triggers Methane Explosions

Posted by samzenpus on from the it's-getting-hot-in-here dept.

An anonymous reader writes Officials say molten lava from a Hawaii volcano has been flowing steadily in an area where residents have been warned they might have to evacuate their homes. Dozens of residents in the flow path have been told to complete all necessary preparations by Tuesday for a possible evacuation. From the article: "Janet Babb, a geologist and spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said methane explosions also have been going off. She said decomposing vegetation produces methane gas that can travel subsurface beyond the lava front in different directions, accumulating in pockets that can ignite. She said it was a bit unnerving to hear all the blasts on Saturday."

2 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Molten lava? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Lava refers to either molten rock...or....molten rock that has flowed, cooled and solidified. "Lava beds" are large areas of once-molten rock that are solidified.

  2. Pictures? by pat_trick · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/multimedia/index.php?newSearch=true&display=custom&volcano=1&resultsPerPage=20

    I'm surprised the original post links to a news story from a Seattle newspaper instead of the actual USGS website.