JAN 31, 2010: HAWAII, VOL. VI -- VISITING PELE - OptimImagery

JAN 31, 2010: HAWAII, VOL. VI -- VISITING PELE

Music on Videos by Kevin MacLeod of incompetech.com

The next morning, we rose early and drove down the Chain of Craters Road to watch the sun rise at the sea's edge.

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The next morning, we rose early and drove down the Chain of Craters Road to watch the sun rise at the sea's edge.

$Amazing how the molten rock wrinkles itself into apparent braids as it flows and cools. This photo is also interesting in that you can see how metals have tended to oxidize much faster in the broken surface than what it has in the original surface. Is this because, as the lava cools, metals tend to somehow move into the still molten rock (which would tend to concentrate metals away from the original surface), or is it because the relatively dense original surface protects metal from oxygen more than does the porous inside surface once the rock is fractured? If you know, or if you have another theory, please leave a comment!$