Kilauea erupts, destroying webcam [video]

I was there today. We happened to notice the smoke over Kilauea while driving to Hilo, then checked out USGS cams, and immediately drove there and spent the next 7 hours getting mesmerized.

As my first eruption encounter, I didn’t expect to experience several things like the heat even from a long distance, enough to keep me warm in my shorts at 60F, and the loud rumble, like a giant waterfall. The flow of lava was way faster than I expected too, almost like oil.

Mind blown.

Hawaii volcanism is what geologists seem to call "nice and friendly" - low viscosity lava, not prone to explosive eruptions (unlike the stratovolcanoes of the Andes or the Pacific rim in general) - this is because it's caused by hotspot volcanism in Hawaii.

It’s not nice and friendly because of the hotspot volcanism.

It’s because the hotspot has a chemical composition that is generally low in dissolved gasses and very liquid/flows well. (Lots of silicates I think?)

It tends to come out nicely and stay liquid as it leaves, so vents don’t plug up. Also, because of the relatively low dissolved gasses, pressure doesn’t spike as high when it’s flowing out of the chamber like many other magmas do, causing explosions.

Hawaii exists basically because it’s great for building up islands/mountains without blowing them up as part of the process.

I was at the Fagradalsfjall eruption at 2023. Had been to Iceland for two weeks w wife and daughter, and on the last day (since the signs were there) I decided to postpone travel home for two days (w + child wanted to go home). On my last day, the hike opened up and I went at approx 2100 hours to the volcano. That was an approx 10 km hike one way.

Amazing experience. A bunch of us were stupid as can be, but got as close as approx 50 m. Sounds really dangerous, but the sputter were not that violent yet, and the ground sloped away from us. Still, really stupidly dangerous (the sputter wall could've broken down, wind direction change, etc). But it didn't. Lots of moss fires, and walked into a small slope and immediately felt a sting in my nose and lungs from trapped gases so took that as a nope and went back.

Started walking back at 0130 something, boarded flight at 0600, fainted (I had done Mt Esja in the morning too). Sorry other passengers, it was inconsiderate of me and I was an asshole for that. But... that experience...!

I don't think hotspots can be said to have different composition. But if the hotspot is under a continent or an ocean plate makes a difference for the type of eruptions. Hawaii is in the middle of an ocean plate, no continental crust there. So we get a basaltic eruption (comparatively lower silica content, low viscosity lava).

Low viscosity is due to the LOW silica content. Tectonic setting is the primary factor determining the magma's final composition (basaltic) and therefore its physical properties (low silica, low viscosity). The gentle nature of Hawaiian volcanism is a direct result of its basaltic magma, which it has because the hotspot is located under thin, basaltic oceanic crust

Same here. I'd add that viewing the lava fountain at night was a mesmerizing experience. You get to see the full extent of red, glowing lava lake and the fountain. There were thousands of people and yet they appeared so small in front of the volcano. We did experience some ash and Pele's hair on the way to the park, near the black sand beach. I do recommend carrying a torch though at night, since it is pitch black at night. The lava illuminated the park with the red glow, but there were some parts where you do need a torch esp. if you park far away and walk.

I was reading about shield volcanoes and it sounds like the low viscosity lava is the defining feature. So the flow is par for the course.

> viewing the lava fountain at night was a mesmerizing experience

Is there anything comparable to the overview effect [1] that attends seeing a lava fountain in person?

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect

I am severely tempted to hop on a flight to go and see it, but wondering if it's such a "once in a lifetime" thing to go see? That, and if it'll peter out by the time I get there, and $500+ to just fly on a whim and stay overnight.

Yellowstone is also caused by hotspot volcanism. The friendly eruption is a property of location, not hotspot origin.

Your initial post read the other way, which the parent post is addressing.

> but wondering if it's such a "once in a lifetime" thing to go see?

Depends how close you go to see.

If you wanna see it more than once, don't go too close.

Yes we watched it in the night too. It was disappointing to see iPhone “normalizing” its brightness down. I had to take raw photos to capture it.

Yeah it went on about 12 hours which might be a record. But this was the 38th eruption this year. Others may not have been as big as this though.

That said, it feels like a once in a lifetime experience, yes. See my video: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4NDM1Nzg1OTAyMTA0...

Why do you think you fainted? Because of the gases?

Perhaps a total solar eclipse? Especially so when seeing half the solar system lined up neatly in a row with the sun and moon (and a comet in case of the recent April 2024 eclipse in the US), and truly feeling that one is riding on a chunk of rock hurtling through space, tethered invisibly to that impossibly distant mass of gas and plasma like a ball at the end of a rope...

Still get frisson every time I think about it ;)