On the Big Island of Hawaii, new earth is born of rock, heat, pressure, and fire–that which destroys most other life around it. As this new land is added to the island, land beneath is covered over, sometimes meaning the end of plants, tress, and homes.
The new, barren landscape will soon be sprouting with life as the rigid rock begins a gradual breakdown, turning into rick volcanic soil. At this spot on Kilauea, that process may still be some time in the distant future though, as fresh lava continues to flood the Halemaumau coastal plains.
Slow, sluggish flows on the coastal plain: The flows on the coastal plain continue to take their time on their path to the ocean. Today, relatively sluggish pāhoehoe breakouts were active about 1.1 km (0.7 miles) from the water. In the upper right portion of the photograph, fume sources on the pali mark the path of the lava tube coming through Royal Gardens subdivision. – May 4, 2012
In this picture, one can see the steam from lava tubes coming down the hill in the upper-right, while seeing the bright orange of molten rock contrasting with dark black in the lower-right.
