Fire from the volcano

Lava from Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent pours into the ocean.Lava from Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent pours into the ocean.Lava from Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent pours into the ocean.

Since the theme of this week’s WordPress photo challenge is elemental, I thought I’d pull out a few more photos from my visit, earlier this year, to the lava flow from Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent.

This is the closest we get to seeing fire from the earth’s core, a roaring torrent of molten lava. Since I took these photos there have been cliff collapses that have ended this firehose effect. But the lava continues to flow and has formed a good-sized delta at the foot of the cliff. This delta is crossed by several large cracks, which run parallel to the coast. This means the whole delta is likely to collapse into the ocean in the near future, probably in explosive fashion.

Could be time for another visit!

Lava from Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent pours into the ocean.Lava from Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent pours into the ocean.

Blue goatfish

Blue goatfish are easy to identify with a good deal of blue on their bodies and a yellow patch in front of the tail.Blue goatfish are easy to identify with a good deal of blue on their bodies and a yellow patch in front of the tail.

Blue goatfish are easy to identify with a good deal of blue on their bodies and a yellow patch in front of the tail. When feeding, they move their long barbels forward and use them to roust small fish from cracks and coral heads.

House finches

A pair of house finches sits on a branch on the Big Island of Hawaii.

This pair of house finches, the male on the left and female on the right, was flitting about Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. They’re common birds here, as in many other places, but there’s something about this photo that I’m really happy with.

For more information about Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, visit https://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm.