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Rivers of lava from the volcano Kilauea leave a lava tube at a bench of new land at the Ka`ili`ili sea entry. The steam in the background is right at sea level and is caused by the boiling hot lava meeting the cool ocean water. With each wave, parts of these flows are covered by water, generating a blinding cloud of hot steam.
Kilauea is the youngest and southeastern-most volcano on the big island of Hawaii. Topographically Kilauea, which is located on the southernmost flank of Mauna Loa, was thought to be an extension of its giant neighbor. However, research over the past few decades clearly shows that Kilauea has its own magma-plumbing system, extending to the surface from more than 60 kilometers deep in the Earth.Image credit: ©Tom Pfeiffer
