Volcanoes and Earthquakes

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 edition. Excerpt: ...1.7% of rocky material. Indeed, they contain so iittle solid material that a layer of volcanic glass only one inch thick, if blown out into scoriao, would be able to produce a layer sixty inches thick. Another curious form some times assumed by lava' especially in the case of Kilauea, is where the lava is spun out in the form of long silk-like hairs. This is called by the natives Pele's hair, after the name of their goddess. Inasmuch as the origin of this form of lava was at one time generally attributed tO the ac-fromDana'i Manual ojaeohgy.-t, . j-j-i Fio. 27. Thread-lace tion of the wind in drawing out Scorle From Kilauea thread-like pieces from the jets of lava thrown upwards from the pool, it will be interest ing if its true cause is explained. Geology ca Dutton, in his report on the Hawaiian volcanoes, refers to the formation of Pole's hair as follows: "The phenomenon of Pele's hair ia often spoken of in the school books, and receives its name from this locality. It has generally been explained as the result of the action of the wind upon minute threads of lava drawn out by the spurting up of boiling lava. Nothing of the sort was seen here, and yet Pele's hair was seen forming in great abundance. Whenever the surface of the liquid lava was exposed during the break-up the air above the lake was filled with these cobwebs, but there was no spurting or apparent boiling on the exposed surface. The explanation of the phenomenon which I would offer is as follows: Liquid lava coming up from the depths always contains more or less water, which it gives off slowly and by degrees, in much the same way as champagne gives off carbonic acid when the bottle is uncorked. Water-vapor is held in the liquid lava by some affinity similar to chemical...