mauna loalargest volcano in the world by volume and surface area, erupted after sleeps for almost 40 years. Geologists are very attentive to the lava fountain that flows slowly along its outer side, as well as to the kind of golden hairs that flow around it, landing on the ground, trees, and any nearby surface. These are the structures known as Pele’s hair and they have a story to tell about the volcano.
They are named after Pele, Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes. However, these structures, made up of thin strands of fiberglass, have also been found after volcanic eruptions in other parts of the world. For example, they were seen in Masaya in Nicaragua, on Etna in Italy, Erta Ala in Ethiopia and on the Icelandic volcanoes. In the latter, they, in fact, have their own name; Well, instead of Pele’s hair, they are known as witch hair (nornahar).
In addition to the curious appearance, surprisingly similar to the real Golden hair, these structures are very useful, as they are among the first to appear after the eruption. Therefore, they can provide valuable information about the activity and depths of the volcano. It is for this reason that geologists sent to Hawaii are now also eyeing them. This way they will be able to post some snippets explaining this curious phenomenon. rash.
What is special about this Mauna Loa volcanic eruption?
The first recorded eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano occurred. in 1843. Since then, the volcano has erupted a total of 33 times, with an average distance of 5 years between them. However, in 1984 he sank into a prolonged lethargy that has kept him awake ever since. This time, 38 years have passed before this new eruption, which occurred last Sunday, November 27th.
Fortunately, unlike other volcanoes, Mauna Loa does not usually erupt. explosive. The lava flows slowly down the slope, so it usually doesn’t deal much damage. And this time it’s not there either. At best, as he explained BBC Andrew Hooper, professor of geophysics at the University of Leeds, could have created what is known as volcanic fog. It is formed when the gases emitted by the volcano react with the humidity of the air. In this case, the quality of the product is reduced, and bystanders may experience irritation to the eyes or respiratory tract. However, the air quality is not bad at the moment.
What is Pele’s hair like?
Hawaiian legends say that Pele was a blonde goddess with a very bad temper who lived inside Mauna Loa. When he was enraged, the volcano erupted, releasing her hair and her tears.
Pele’s hair is strands of fiberglass that form when lava cools as it erupts from a volcano. Its length goes from 5 to 15 centimeters and thickness from 1 to 300 microns. On the other hand, when they vitrify in the form of drops, we are talking about the tears of the goddess.
Be that as it may, both structures and others can give very valuable information about the volcano. For example, they can provide data on the composition of a volcano’s magma chamber, as the substances in question crystallize in these structures. Also in the case of tears, they give information about the speed of the eruption.
In the case of Mauna Loa, geologists had already found a large amount of Pele’s hair around it, so they set about collecting samples for study. They hope to get interesting facts about the volcano. Of course, previous studies have shown that, being such small structures, Pele’s hair can get dirty quickly. other substances present in the air. For this reason, although they are useful at the beginning of the eruption, later it is better to resort to more voluminous structures, such as lapilli, which were talked about so much after the La Palma eruption.
For now, remnants of the goddess’s wrath is the best way to explore this is a late release. Later, the volcano itself will erupt other important pieces of the puzzle.
Source: Hiper Textual
