Lava flows, Hawaii 1980

Kilauea volcano, 1250m (4090ft) is the youngest and most active of Hawaii's volcanoes. It can be studied and observed closely in relative safety in the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park, Puna district, approx. 48 km from Hilo. Kilauea has been continuously erupting along the East Rift Zone since January 1983, making it the world's longest erupting volcano. The basaltic Hawaiian lavas have two distinct forms, although chemically they are the same: aa (viscous, rough) and pahoehoe (smooth, ropy, billowy).This image is a close-up of recent (1980 when the photograph was taken) pahoehoe lava and aa lavas illustrating the different appearance of the two lava types.