Does the lava from one eruption leave a path which lava from later eruptions will follow?

rocky Ben Ainsworth

Dear Ben,

No, lava doesn't usually pave a path for later flows. In fact, because lava flows have a thickness, they often provide barriers for later flows. Manny flows are 3-10 meters thick so when a later flow comes along it will choose to flow next to the earlier flow rather than on top of it.

Once in a while, lava will occupy the drained-out channel or tube of a pre-existing flow, but that is rare.

Scott Rowland, University of Hawaii 

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