This Is What Happens When Lava Swallows A Tree

Lava is burning through a Hawaii forest — and it’s leaving these glowing holes in its wake.

When 2,000-degree lava oozes through a forest, it often reduces everything in its path to a fiery field of black rock. 

Once the flow has passed, however, a person can sometimes find remnants of the life it just destroyed, like this burning red hole glowing ominously in the scorched earth:

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One of the lava tree molds Kawika Singson photographed during a recent hike.
Kawika Singson

Hawaii resident Kawika Singson spotted this glowing hole ― known as a lava tree mold ― last week while photographing Kilauea volcano’s active lava flow as it swallowed a forest on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Singson hiked across seven miles of lava field to reach the edge of a burning forest, where he saw this natural phenomenon and several others like it.

“As I reached the outer perimeter of the tree line, I started to see these glowing hot holes in the lava which I was walking on,” he told The Huffington Post.

“I immediately knew what it was as I’ve seen them before,” he added, “but never in the stage that I was viewing it in ― glowing orange hot!”

One might assume that a tree would burst into flames immediately after lava hits it, but that is not the case. In fact, something much cooler happens, as evidenced in Singson’s footage.

When hot, fluid lava engulfs a “moist, cool tree,” according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, “the layer of lava next to the trunk chills and solidifies,” creating a circular mold of cooled lava around the trunk.

Eventually, the tree burns to ash or “bakes into charcoal,” as explained by the Observatory.

Sometimes, the lava around the tree will drain away to a lower area, creating a mold of the tree that stands above ground, like the ones seen along the Lava Trees Loop Hiking Trail.

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These lava tree molds show what can happen years after lava swallows a living tree.

Standing lava tree molds created years ago can be found in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. But Singson was able to capture rare footage of a tree as it was actively being fossilized.

“Death of an Ohia tree, in sequence,” Singson wrote on Facebook along with his photos.

“In the distance, a crackling sound of a slow moving lava flow, it’s only a matter of time before the inevitable occurs, the heat, the magma, the singe, the burn, then the fall from gracefully standing tall.”

Although it’s extremely dangerous to approach active lava, Singson hikes to the lava fields almost every weekend to see (and feel) Mother Nature’s hot fury.

“I can actually see the orange glow of the lava beneath my steps as I navigate the heated terrain,” Singson told HuffPost. “Yes! I know it sounds dangerous, and it is if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Singson was born in Hawaii, and says he has hiked through lava fields since the 1980s. In recent years, he’s captured the internet’s attention with his incredible footage, including an up-close view of lava as it poured into the ocean

The lava flows Singson most recently filmed broke out on Kilauea in late May.

Hawaii county officials have established a viewing area where enthusiasts can legally watch the active flow, but some daredevils venture as close to the lava as they can get.

For Singson, that means coming within 10 feet of a burning forest.

“I knew this was a rare moment for me, this was the culmination of all my lava hikes and the countless hours I put in navigating Madame Pele’s domain,” he told HuffPost. 

“I’m very grateful that I was able to witness and record all that took place within that little kipuka,” he added, using the Hawaiian word for a place surrounded by lava.

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Before You Go

Hawaii Lava Flow 2014
Nov. 13, 2014(01 of 67)
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Lava surrounds an outer fence to the Pahoa transfer station in Pahoa, Hawaii.

(credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 16, 2014(02 of 67)
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Lava flow as it passes a fence to the Pahoa transfer station in Pahoa. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 10, 2014(03 of 67)
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A stream of lava set a home on fire Monday in Pahoa, a rural Hawaii town that has been watching the slow-moving flow approach for months. The molten rock hit the house just before noon. The home's renters already had left the residence in Pahoa, the largest town in the Big Island's isolated and mostly agricultural Puna district. (AP Photo/County of Hawaii) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 10, 2014(04 of 67)
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Lava flow burning a residential structure. (AP Photo/County of Hawaii) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 9, 2014(05 of 67)
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The lava flow from the Kilauea Volcano that began on June 27 pours from an active breakout near the Pahoa transfer station on the Big Island of Hawaii. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jan. 26, 2015(06 of 67)
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One of many small breakouts of lava on the surface of the June 27 flow immediately upslope of the leading edge near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii.

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Jan. 21, 2015(07 of 67)
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Burned vegetation surrounding lava flow. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey)

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Dec. 19, 2014(08 of 67)
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Visitors view a section of cooled lava. (AP Photo/Tim Wright)

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Dec. 19, 2014(09 of 67)
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Gas pumps are removed from the Malama Mart Gas N Go as lava approaches in Pahoa, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Tim Wright) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Dec. 12, 2014(10 of 67)
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A geologist uses a handheld GPS unit to mark the lava flow margin coordinates in Pahoa, Hawaii. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Suvery, Tim Orr) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Dec. 12, 2014(11 of 67)
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The active lava flow front continues to advance downslope towards the northeast about a mile and a half from the marketplace in Pahoa, Hawaii. Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, the lava is about one mile away from Malama Marketplace supermarket. There's a hardware store, pharmacy and gas station in the same shopping center. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Suvery, Tim Orr) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 20, 2014(12 of 67)
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A 'breakout' near a ground crack system near an abandoned geothermal well site near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hawaii County Civil Defense says there continues to be very little activity along the breakouts of the lava flow and no advancement has been noted since the weekend. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey, Volcano Helicopters) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 20, 2014(13 of 67)
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Active lava was covering existing flow around a ground crack system, with small portions entering the forest at the flow margins, near the town of Pahoa. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 19, 2014(14 of 67)
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Smoke from burning vegetation marks the edges of small breakouts from the lava tube system north of an abandoned geothermal well site, where steam is erupting at middle left. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey, Volcano Helicopters) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 17, 2014(15 of 67)
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A geologist takes a sample of molten lava and quenches it in a bucket of cold water to freeze the crystalline structure. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 17, 2014(16 of 67)
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Lava flow with Puu Oo shown at the rear center near Pahoa, Hawaii. Kilauea has been erupting continuously for more than 31 years. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 16, 2014(17 of 67)
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A tree mold on a recently active portion from the lava flow. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 15, 2014(18 of 67)
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An active breakout close to Pahoa Village Road. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 13, 2014(19 of 67)
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Lava bursting from a tumulus, or domed hill, in Pahoa, Hawaii. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 13, 2014(20 of 67)
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A breakout downslope of the house that burned on Monday, Nov. 10. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 9, 2014(21 of 67)
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An unidentified geologist standing atop the lava flow near the Pahoa cemetery looking northeast toward houses on Pahoa Village Road. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 9, 2014 (22 of 67)
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The lava flow approaches a new steel power pole that is surrounded by a cinder barrier. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 9, 2014 (23 of 67)
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The lava flow as it burns along Cemetery Road. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 8, 2014(24 of 67)
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A breakout, or area where lava oozes to the side of a flow upslope of the stalled leading edge. Lava is creeping out at several spots upslope of the leading edge. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 8, 2014(25 of 67)
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A tree lies where it has fallen after lava flow burned through its lower trunk. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
November 7, 2014(26 of 67)
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Lava from the Kilauea Volcano nears Pahoa. (Photo by Andrew Hara/Getty Images) (credit: Andrew Hara via Getty Images)
November 7, 2014(27 of 67)
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Lava from the Kilauea Volcano flows across the ground in Pahoa, Hawaii. (Photo by Andrew Hara/Getty Images) (credit: Andrew Hara via Getty Images)
Nov. 7, 2014(28 of 67)
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A time lapse camera that USGS Hawaii Volcano Observatory scientists were using to monitor a lava tube skylight near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The camera was caught in an overflow of lava surrounding the tripod and melted the power cable. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
November 3, 2014(29 of 67)
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(Photo by Andrew Hara/Getty Images) (credit: Andrew Hara via Getty Images)
Nov. 2, 2014(30 of 67)
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Lava flows around the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The National Guard deployed troops to the rural Hawaii town as lava makes a slow crawl toward a major road and threatens to further isolate the community that got its start during the lumber- and sugar-plantation heyday. (AP Photo/Pete Stachowicz, Paradise Helicopters) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 2, 2014(31 of 67)
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A breakout from an inflated lobe of the June 27 lava flow. Overnight rain reduced the lava's smoke. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 1, 2014(32 of 67)
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Small breakouts from an inflating Pahoehoe lava lobe in a privately owned orchard near the town of Pahoa, Hawaii. The tip of the flow that remains halted in a Pahoa farmer's yard is now cool to the touch, but a few hundred yards upstream an active stretch of lava is "inflating," or filling with fresh lava. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nov. 1, 2014(33 of 67)
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A "toe" of Pahoehoe lava oozing out of the edge of the main flow, about 328 yards upslope of the leading edge of the flow, near the town of Pahoa, Hawaii. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 31, 2014(34 of 67)
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Lava from an upstream lobe overcoming a fence marking a private property line near the town of Pahoa, Hawaii. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 31, 2014(35 of 67)
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A hole left behind by a large tree that was surrounded by lava, burned through at its base and collapsed onto the solidified flow surface. The end of the tree trunk is glowing, and flames from burning wood are emanating from the hole. Geologists say this represents an under-appreciated hazard of the lava flow field, as trees that were surrounded by lava can fall long after the leading edge has passed by. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 30, 2014(36 of 67)
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Lava flow burning vegetation near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 30, 2014(37 of 67)
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A lava breakout around 110 yards behind the leading edge of the flow near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 30, 2014(38 of 67)
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Nearly 30 years ago, the small Hawaii town of Kalapana (which is ten miles from Pahoa) was held hostage by a slowly oozing stream of lava from Kilauea volcano. People are now rebuilding on land that was almost entirely swallowed by molten rock. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 30, 2014(39 of 67)
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A house sits among recent lava flow in Kalapana, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 30, 2014(40 of 67)
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A breakout of lava. These breakouts are located about 100 meters (110 yards) behind the leading edge of the flow. Lava from a vent at Kilauea volcano has been sliding northeast toward the ocean since June. Pahoa residents say the lava will reshape the community yard by yard as it creeps toward the ocean. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 30, 2014(41 of 67)
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Lava flow has come into contact and inflated against an artificial berm, to a level much higher than that of the berm, on private property near the town of Pahoa. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 30, 2014(42 of 67)
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Lava near the leading edge of the flow oozing over a concrete slab and towards a tangerine tree before solidifying. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 29, 2014 (43 of 67)
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Police block traffic where officials expect lava to flow across the main road in Pahoa, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 29, 2014(44 of 67)
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An aerial view of the lava flow over Cemetery Road and Apa'a Street near the town of Pahoa. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 29, 2014(45 of 67)
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A chiropractor's office vows to stay open for business in Pahoa. Lava threatens to bisect the town's main road. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 28, 2014(46 of 67)
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Lava that has pushed through a fence marking a property boundary above the town of Pahoa. Residents of Pahoa Village, the commercial center of the island's rural Puna district south of Hilo, have had weeks to prepare for what's been described as a slow-motion disaster. Most have either already left or are prepared to go. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 28, 2014(47 of 67)
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Lava that has pushed through a fence marking a property boundary above the town of Pahoa. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 28, 2014(48 of 67)
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Denise Lagrimas, right, and her brother Beatle Rodriguez pack dishes at their home in Pahoa as they prepare to move to another town away from the threat of lava. The family's single-story home is just across the street from properties where lava from Kilauea volcano is expected to slither past on its way to the ocean. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 28, 2014(49 of 67)
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Lava burning vegetation as it approaches a property boundary above the town of Pahoa. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
October 28, 2014(50 of 67)
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The flow was 510 meters (560 yards) upslope from Pahoa Village Road and the flow width was about 50 meters (55 yards) at the leading edge. (Photo by Andrew Hara/Getty Images) (credit: Andrew Hara via Getty Images)
Oct. 28, 2014(51 of 67)
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The Sato family headstone still standing in a sea of black lava in a cemetery in Pahoa. As the slow-moving lava got closer to the Pahoa Japanese Cemetery, officials provided Aiko Sato an opportunity to visit. When she placed flowers at the headstone last week, she thought it would be the last time she would see it. But after lava flowed over the cemetery, Sato's aunt was given a photograph taken by a geologist documenting the lava's advancement, showing the Sato headstone still standing in a sea of black lava. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 26, 2014(52 of 67)
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A Hawaii Volcano Observatory geologist mapping the margin of the June 27 lava flow in the open field below Cemetery Road. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
October 26, 2014(53 of 67)
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A HVO geologist walks across the surface of the lava flow. (Photo by USGS via Getty Images) (credit: Handout via Getty Images)
October 26, 2014(54 of 67)
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A portion of the front of the June 27th lava flow burns through thick vegetation and a fence in Pahoa, Hawaii. (Photo by USGS via Getty Images) (credit: Handout via Getty Images)
October 25, 2014(55 of 67)
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The June 27th lava flow crossed Apa'a Street. (Photo by USGS via Getty Images) (credit: Handout via Getty Images)
Oct. 25, 2014(56 of 67)
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A Hawaii Volcano Observatory geologist standing on a partly cooled section of lava flow near the town of Pahoa. Note the thin red horizontal line of molten lava visible along the bottom third of the photo. The flow here is about one meter (three feet) thick, but slightly farther upslope where the lava has had more time to inflate the thickness was closer to two meters. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 25, 2014(57 of 67)
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Lava flow advancing across the pasture between the Pahoa cemetery and Apaa Street, engulfing a barbed wire fence. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 25, 2014(58 of 67)
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A small shed being consumed by lava in a pasture between the Pahoa cemetery and Apa'a Street. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 24, 2014(59 of 67)
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The lava flow from Kilauea Volcano that began June 27 is seen as it crossed Apa'a Street. The flow was about 160 to 230 feet (50 to 70 meters) wide and moving northeast at about 10 yards (nine meters) per hour. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 22, 2014(60 of 67)
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Lava flow slowly moving through thick vegetation and creating thick plumes of smoke. Frequent methane explosions occur, resulting from cooked vegetation releasing methane which then ignites. The explosions can range from small puffs to loud cannon-like blasts, and are an additional hazard in the immediate area of the flow margin. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 22, 2014(61 of 67)
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An aerial view of the lava flow near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. (AP Photo/University of Hawaii at Hilo) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 22, 2014(62 of 67)
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A comparison of a normal photograph of the lava flow front, left, with a thermal image of the flow that is threatening the town of Pahoa. The white box shows the approximate extent of the thermal image. The thermal image shows that active breakouts (white and yellow areas) are focused along the narrow lobe at the leading edge of the flow, but are also scattered for about 2 km (1.2 miles) behind the flow front. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct. 22, 2014(63 of 67)
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Lava flow near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. (AP Photo/University of Hawaii at Hilo) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sept. 15, 2014(64 of 67)
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Surface activity from lava flow that began on June 27, 2014 from the Kilauea volcano in Pahoa, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Residents on Hawaii's southernmost island have already dealt with one tropical storm this year and are currently coping with the threat of slowly encroaching lava. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey, File) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sept. 6, 2014(65 of 67)
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Surface flows cut a swath through thick forest. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sept. 1, 2014(66 of 67)
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Fluid lava streams from the June 27 lava flow from the Kilauea volcano. The June 27 lava flow is named for the date it began erupting from a new vent. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Aug. 12, 2014(67 of 67)
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A fluid lava stream within the main tube of the June 27 lava flow from the Kilauea volcano. (AP Photo/U.S. Geological Survey) (credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)