Lava from Kilauea volcano is now hotter, more fluid

Lava from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has been spewing for over a month, but the thick, slow-moving lava has taken a new shape, transforming into a wide, hot, flowing river of lava traveling long distances.

The 2100-degree lava is flowing together into a molten red river running 9 miles from the fissure into the ocean at Kapoho. The transition into fast-paced lava moving about 200 yards per hour seen Monday is due the location of the fissure.

The fissure, the 8th of 24 fissures, is located in the lower east rift zone near Leilani Estates. The magma under the surface in this area is hotter, more fluid and less crystallized.

"The whole lower east rift zone has a plumbing system two miles below surface and it is delivering hotter magma at fissure 8, which is giving runnier lava that's flowing to the ocean," said Charles Mandeville, program coordinator for volcano hazards program at United States Geological Survey.

When the volcano first started splattering on May 3, the lava was cooler and more crystal rich, causing it to be thicker. Thicker lava tends to stick and form piles which don't move very far, about 10 meters an hour.

The hotter lava from fissure 8 is cooling faster and creating 5 meter high rock levees in the process.

"The good thing about fissure 8 fountaining vigorously is it's giving rise to channelized lava flow," Mandeville said. "So, flow is being contained by natural levees just because it's cooling...which makes the lava path much more predictable."

The downside? Once the lava river reaches the ocean it reacts violently with the water, shattering the lava into glass shards and creating steam plumes rich in hydrochloric acid acid, which feels like battery acid if in contact with skin.

The Kilauea volcano has been erupting for 37 days. In 1955, a similar eruption from the rift zone lasted around 88 days.

WSBTV