These pictures were taken on April 24, 2001. It was a long hike in to the flows, but I think it was worth it.

Here are some surface flows. Photo: John Davies.

When the flow reaches the cliff it just pours over edge, and of course the water is turned to steam where the lava enters. This sort of viewing is VERY dangerous, as the cliff may collapse at any moment. The cliff, or lava bench, may be undercut by the waves and may collapse without warning. Several people have been killed this way. We kept well away from the flow and used long lenses. We only stayed a few minutes as we didn't feel like taking too much of a risk. Photo: John Davies.

This was quite remarkable, the crescent moon is setting behind the pali, or cliffs that once marked the edge of the island. Lava is coming over the pali in tubes, but holes in the tubes, called skylights, allow the lava to be seen. Much closer, in the lower centre and right, are surface flows about 2 metres wide and only a few metres from the camera. Photo: John Davies

Pictures of the flows in March 2002?

John Keith Davies
Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ
j.davies@roe.ac.uk
tel: (44) 0131 668 8348 / fax: (44) 0131 662 1668/

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