Pyroduct lava splatter
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Pyroduct lava splatter

by Stephan Kempe

Basaltic lava oxidizes according to the availability of water and oxygen during cooling. Here groundwater caused splattering of lava in a pyroduct (lava tube) in a cave on Hawaii. Pyroducts are conduits in which lava is conveyed for many kilometers on slopes sometimes less than 1° without substantial cooling. The lava flows thus produced give shield volcanoes their shape.