In a Hawaiian eruption, lava is thrown into the air in jets from a vent on the flank of a volcano. The jets can last for hours or even days, a phenomenon known as fire fountaining. The spatter created by bits of hot lava falling out of the fountain can melt together and form lava flows, or build hills called spatter cones. Lava flows may also come from vents at the same time as fountaining occurs, or during periods where fountaining has paused. Because these flows are very fluid, they can travel miles from their source before they cool and harden. They are known for their calm, gentle nature and are relatively safe to watch at from close range. They are named as Hawiian Eruptions because they're most common in Hawaiian volcanoes. However, Hawaiian eruptions are also common in almost all the basaltic shield volcanoes around the globe. In these types of eruptions close to no ash clouds are produced.
Hawaiian eruptions get their names from the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, which is famous for producing spectacular fire fountains. Two excellent examples of these are the :
Hawaiian eruptions get their names from the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, which is famous for producing spectacular fire fountains. Two excellent examples of these are the :
- 1969-1974 Mauna Ulu eruption on the volcano's flank
- 1959 eruption of the Kilauea Iki Crater at the summit of Kilauea.
- Mount Mihara in 1986 .