Flow Surfaces The viscosity of surface layers of some lava flows increases as they cool. If crystallization is also inhibited and the strain rate in the surface layer is low, then the layers remain plastic rather than becoming brittle. The more rapid flow of the melt beneath the surface causes the upper layers to fold, forming wave-like patterns called pahoehoe patterns. If the surface layers suffer increased crystallization or the strain rate in the surface layer is high, then the layers become brittle and break into blocks, forming aa surfaces.

The 1968-1969 Eruptions of Kilauea Volcano

Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii erupts as frequently as any other volcano on the planet. The eruptions that began in late 1968 and ended the following summer, produced relatively small amounts of basaltic lava compared to the eruptions that came before and after. The signiicance of the 1968-1969 eruptions stems from the chemical characteristics that distinguish them from the earlier and later eruptive products and from the inferred conditions and processes by which they formed. Their magmatic history is our attempt to explain how they came to be.

The history is documented in *.pdf files. They can be read on the screen or printed. To read and print the documents, you need Adobe's Acrobat Reader, which is furnished free of charge by clicking on the following button:

The electronic documents can be downloaded to your computer by clicking the right mouse button on the immediately following links:
Kilauea1968Text.pdf
Figures that accompany the magmatic history text:
Kilauea1968Figs.pdf
Tables that accompany the magmatic history text:
Kilauea1968Tabs.pdf

Click the navigation button, above, to learn how to arrange the files to read them effectively on the screen