What kind of utensil do you gather the lava in.
Spencer
Hi Spencer,
I like that, utensil. I usually just use a rock hammer, and I think that
is the most commonly-used utensil. Obviously a hammer isn't exactly
shaped like a scoop, but the lava will form a blob on it long enough for
you to get it away from the flow. You then let the blob cool either on
the ground or in a coffee can where you can pour water to make it cool
down faster.
Sometimes the fluid lava is more than a hammer's reach away. The Hawaiian
volcano observatory has sometimes tied a piece of pipe to a cable or
lightweight chain that they throw into an inaccessible channel, lava
tube, or lava lake. The lava adheres to the piece of pipe and you can
reel it in like a fish.
One of the geologists here at the University of Hawai'i once bought a
post-hole digger and took it apart to make two nice long-handled scoops.
Since his research was funded by NASA it had to have an acronym: HPHD, for
half post-hole-digger. It worked fine but it was a lot more hassle to
carry around than a hammer, and the wooden handles had an annoying habit
of bursting into flame if left too long in the lava.
I think I'll stick with the hammer technique.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland
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