How far and how fast can Lava Flow?
Jessie
Worwetz
Hi Jessie,
In Hawai'i the fastest flows we've recorded were those
of the 1950 Mauna Loa eruption. These were going about 10 kilometers per
hour through thick forest. That was the velocity of the flow front. Once
the lava flows became established and good channels developed, the lava in
the channels was going at more like 60 km/hour! The longest
recent Hawaiian flow erupted from Mauna Loa in 1859. It is 51 km long.
There are lava flows on Mars and Venus that are hundreds of km long.
Also, there are lavas called flood basalts here and there on Earth that
are similarly hundreds of km long. We don't know too much about how fast
they were flowing. Some folks think they were fast-moving, other folks
think they were slow. This is an area of volcanology where lots of
research is currently focused. I hope this helps to answer
your question. Sincerely,
Scott Rowland, University of
Hawaii
Movies of Lava Flows
Movies from he videotape "Kilauea ERZ USGS Open File"
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