Wikipedia:Picture of the day/June 23, 2005

Picture of the day

Pahoehoe fountain

An arching fountain of Pahoehoe, approximately 10 m high, issuing from a spatter cone of Pu‘u Kahaualea, Hawaii.

Lava, when first exuded from a volcanic vent, is a liquid at very high temperature: typically from 700°C to 1200°C. Although, the viscosity of lava is 100,000 times that of water, the viscous rock can flow many miles before eventually cooling and solidifying.

Photo credit: J.D. Griggs, USGS
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