Scientists defy 'force of nature' to unlock secrets of Hawaii volcano

JULY 8, 2018 / 9:05 AM / UPDATED 10 HOURS AGO
Terray Sylvester, Jolyn Rosa
5 MIN READ

PAHOA, Hawaii (Reuters) - Dressed in heavy cotton, a helmet and respirator, Jessica Ball worked the night shift monitoring “fissure 8,” which has been spewing fountains of lava as high as a 15-story building from a slope on Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano.

The lava poured into a channel oozing toward the Pacific Ocean several miles away. In the eerie orange nightscape in the abandoned community of Leilani Estates, it looked like it was flowing toward the scientist, but that was an optical illusion, Ball said.

“The volcano is doing what it wants to. ... We’re reminded what it’s like to deal with the force of nature,” said Ball, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Scientists have been in the field measuring the eruptions 24 hours a day, seven days a week since Kilauea first exploded more than two months ago. They are a mix of USGS staff, University of Hawaii researchers and trained volunteers working six-to-eight-hour shifts in teams of two to five.

More:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-hawaii-volcano-science/scientists-defy-force-of-nature-to-unlock-secrets-of-hawaii-volcano-idUKKBN1JY09U