“Lavanado” Forms During Latest Hawaiian Volcano Eruption

Ever since December 23 of last year, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has been incredibly active. It’s latest eruption makes it the 12th episode so far, with each one lasting anywhere from hours to days. Because visitors are allowed to view this natural phenomena in person (at a safe distance, of course), some of the most stunning footage of the volcano continues to be released. One of the latest includes a rare lavanado!

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As silly as that word may sound, it is an actual term. And it’s used to describe what is, essentially, the combination of lava and a tornado. Wild, right? Luckily, a man named Scott Malis managed to capture Kilauea’s recent lavanado on camera. The moment took place on February 26 at 4 a.m., during its 11th episode. Check it out in the video below!

“The heat from the lava mixes with the cool air on the mountain and (creates) a tornado like action, like the funnel cloud,” Scott explains.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a lavanado can be described as a wind vortex that takes place within the caldera. That word is used to describe a depression that is formed when a volcano’s central area collapses, something that takes place after an eruption.

During the 15+ years that Scott has lived in Hawaii, he’s taken the time to view a number of active volcanos in person. Still, he says that the recent episode with the lavanado is “definitely by far the biggest one I’ve seen.” In fact, even though he’s seen lavanados before, he also says that he “never saw one that made the funnel cloud all the way up to the sky.”

“Number 11 was my favorite one yet,” Scott says. “It’s very rare to see one that defined.”

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!