Near to the place we are staying and working, on the south eastern slopes of Kilauea next to the sea, we ran across Lava Tree State Monument. Here you can see a mature rain forest, and among the living trees there are lava trees. These rock formations are caused by lava flowing around a living tree. Because the tree contains so much water, it is not instantly incinerated, and the first layers of lava cool in the shape of the tree. The water quickly vaporizes and the tree burns away, but left behind are these chimneys of cooled lava. The liquid lava receded into giant cracks in the ground, leaving cleared land and lava trees.
Eventually, the forest grows back among the lava trees. This particular forest is over 200 years old, as the lava trees were formed in the lava flow of 1790. This is a most beautiful and serene place.
Near to the place we are staying and working, on the south eastern slopes of Kilauea next to the sea, we ran across Lava Tree State Monument. Here you can see a mature rain forest, and among the living trees there are lava trees. These rock formations are caused by lava flowing around a living tree. Because the tree contains so much water, it is not instantly incinerated, and the first layers of lava cool in the shape of the tree. The water quickly vaporizes and the tree burns away, but left behind are these chimneys of cooled lava. The liquid lava receded into giant cracks in the ground, leaving cleared land and lava trees.
Eventually, the forest grows back among the lava trees. This particular forest is over 200 years old, as the lava trees were formed in the lava flow of 1790. This is a most beautiful and serene place.
No comments:
Post a Comment