14 DAY TRIAL // A nature-made explosion played out in Hawaii on Sunday, May 3, at about 1:20 p.m. local time, and the event was quite a sight. Check out the video below to see for yourselves.
According to US Geological Survey researchers, the explosion occurred when the wall of a crater on Mount Kilauea partly collapsed and the resulting debris landed in a lava lake.
In case anyone was wondering, the lava lake in question, resting in Mount Kilauea's Halemaumau Crater, measures about 160 meters (520 feet) by 210 meters (690 feet).
Almost as soon as it hits the pool of molten material, the debris ignites and is virtually obliterated. The volcano lake, on the other hand, starts shaking just like any other lake when disturbed.
Specialists in the area say that, following Sunday's explosion, rock fragments the size of an average fist were deposited in the area surrounding the lava lake.
The flying debris reached heights of over 200 feet (61 meters). Interestingly, scientists suspect that the crater wall collapsed because it had been weakened by gas emissions originating from the lava lake.
As of recently, Mount Kilauea's Halemaumau Crater has been terribly misbehaving. Its lava lake has overflown on several occasions, and odds are other explosions will happen in the weeks to come.
