Lava is not just impressive in big flows. It is also very interesting when you look at it close up. It is full of small crystals of various colours. The
colors depend on the temperature of the lava as it flows from the volcano and the
chemical composition of any impurities that are in the liquid rock.
Colors can include black, red, grey, brown and tan, metallic silver,
pink, and green. Here is a close-up of a bit of lava that we examined in Hawaii. It has stringy tan and silvery crystals, some clear black ones and beautiful small green crystals of Olivine. Some beaches on Hawaii are actually green, due to the breakup of lava. Be sure to take a pocket magnifier with you when you visit the lava fields. The most important thing to remember is to put the bits of lava back where they came from. It is a criminal offense to remove any. I made sure that the Oldies took all the bits we handled right back to where we found them.Labels: Hawaii, volcano
# posted by Bart Bear @ 11:58 am
