Hawaii's destructive lava flows hit the ocean, making the Big Island bigger

The history of Hawaii is a tale of lava flowing into the sea. 

Bounties of fresh lava poured out of the Kilauea volcano’s recently opened fissures this weekend, producing orange molten rivers that flowed downslope to the Pacific Ocean. When they met, the lava chilled into rock while creating plumes of acidic steam. 

These lava flows, while devastating for homes in the way of these flows, will gradually add new land to the Big Island, continuing a long geologic history of natural island-building.  

“This is the common way in which the island grows laterally,” George Bergantz, a volcanologist at the University of Washington, said in an interview. “It’s lava flow, on top of lava flow, on top of lava flow.” Read more…

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Source: Mashable | Hawaii's destructive lava flows hit the ocean, making the Big Island bigger