Lava From Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Gushes From 'Firehose' Into Pacific
KILAUEA VOLCANO, Hawaii (CBS SF) – Mother Nature continued with its fiery lightshow Wednesday as a river of lava explosively splashed into the sea on Hawaii's big island.
A giant stream of lava, known as a "firehose," was gushing through a crack in a sea cliff into the Pacific Ocean south of Hilo.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a lava firehose is caused when a lava stream converges into a single large spout.
The USGS said the molten river was not threatening any local communities as it flowed into the Pacific Ocean at Kamokuna.
USGS scientists said the open stream of lava continued to pour from a height of about 66 feet into the ocean.
Recent helicopter and ground-based thermal measurements confirmed high temperatures in a crack running parallel to the sea cliff.
A hazy layer of volcanic air polllution, or vog, was noticeable around the island. Vog consists of primarily water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas.