Lava can take many forms, all based on what is in it. Three volcanoes are currently showcasing different varieties of lava in spectacular fashion.
The new lava lake at Kīlauea seen on January 20, 2021. Credit: Hannah Dietterich, USGS/HVO.Lava is amazing. Molten rock that erupts onto the surface at thousands of degrees! Our mainly solid planet can melt but all that molten material isn't the same. Those differences in composition are what drives the different behavior of lava on the surface.. The more silica in the lava, the "stickier" it is. This increase in viscosity means that lava goes from free-flowing to barely-flowing.
The composition isn't the only factor that changes the lava's stickiness. The hotter the lava, the runnier it is. More crystals in the lava? Stickier. More water dissolved in the lava? Runnier. More bubbles forming? Stickier. The final viscosity of the lava is a complicated combination of all these factors, but composition really drives the bus.
Right now, we have three impressive eruptions happening across the globe that really show off the styles of lava eruptions. In Hawai'i, Kīlauea has a new lava lake at its summit Halema'uma'u Crater. On Sicily, Etna has been erupting long, snaking lava flows. At the same time, La Soufrière on St. Vincent has a squat lava dome forming.The surface of the Kilauea Lava Lake seen on January 10, 2021. The cooler, hardened surface can be seen on the right. Credit: Rob Simmon, Planet.
Thermal image of the lava flows from Etna in Italy on January 21, 2021. The lava flows show up as bright in this image. Credit: INGV Osservatorio Etneo.is somewhat more silica rich than Kīlauea's. This means it is stickier and tends to produce Strombolian eruptions. These eruptions have explosions caused by large bubbles of gas rising through the pipe that leads from the source of the lava under the volcano to the surface.
The 2020-2021 lava dome at La Soufrière on St. Vincent in the foreground, with the 1979 dome in the background. Credit: University of West Indies Seismic Research Center.
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