It’s not every day the world gets to see the immense destructive power of lava coming fresh from an erupting volcano. Usually, eruptions are rare, and when they do occur, it happens in so remote locations that we seldom get to see the effects it has on inhabited areas or man-made objects.
Since the third day of the month, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has been erupting, right on top of a residential area called Leilani Estates. So far, the slow-moving waves of molten rock are said to have destroyed some 26 homes.
Faced with the sheer force of tons of flaming lava moving through the area, residents have little left to do aside for evacuating. Those who were left behind, alongside brave journalists and geologists itching to document the eruption and its effects, have been flooding the Internet with never-before-seen images of lava in action.
One particular time-lapse video, shot on May 6, shows how a wave of molten rock slowly creeps down from a hill and onto the road beneath it. On the road, a very unfortunate driver parked a 4th generation Ford Mustang and for some reason nobody moves it before hell got there.
The video shows how a wall of lava taller than the car itself heads straight for the Mustang. Even before contact is made, the car is set ablaze. All that metal, plastic and cloth have little time to burn to a crisp, as the huge weight of the mountain of lava squashes the vehicle.
The temperature lava has is somewhere in the 700 to 1,200 degrees Celsius range (1,292 to 2,192 Fahrenheit). The weight of the flow is impossible to estimate at this time.
For now, Hawaii residents can do nothing but sit and wait. Experts say it is impossible to know how long the eruption would last, with estimates ranging from several weeks to a few months.
Faced with the sheer force of tons of flaming lava moving through the area, residents have little left to do aside for evacuating. Those who were left behind, alongside brave journalists and geologists itching to document the eruption and its effects, have been flooding the Internet with never-before-seen images of lava in action.
One particular time-lapse video, shot on May 6, shows how a wave of molten rock slowly creeps down from a hill and onto the road beneath it. On the road, a very unfortunate driver parked a 4th generation Ford Mustang and for some reason nobody moves it before hell got there.
The video shows how a wall of lava taller than the car itself heads straight for the Mustang. Even before contact is made, the car is set ablaze. All that metal, plastic and cloth have little time to burn to a crisp, as the huge weight of the mountain of lava squashes the vehicle.
The temperature lava has is somewhere in the 700 to 1,200 degrees Celsius range (1,292 to 2,192 Fahrenheit). The weight of the flow is impossible to estimate at this time.
For now, Hawaii residents can do nothing but sit and wait. Experts say it is impossible to know how long the eruption would last, with estimates ranging from several weeks to a few months.
Time Lapse of giant #lava flow consuming car, telephone pole falling
— WXChasing (@bclemms) 7 mai 2018
Date: 5-6-2018
Location: Leilani Estates, Hi #LeilaniEstates #Leilani #Hawaii #volcano pic.twitter.com/7Td2ecfV62