Lava erupting from the volcano on La Palma Island flows into the Atlantic Ocean, creating a new structure, captured by robots and 360-degree cameras.
Researchers at the Institute of Global Change and Oceanography at the University of Las Palmas are using robots and 360-degree cameras to capture images of the lava fields at a depth of 20 meters below the sea, Newsweek reported on October 14. This structure formed as a result of lava erupting from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, part of the Canary Islands in Spain.
The lava field has now ceased to grow, covering an area of approximately 320,000 square meters. A team of experts from the Canary Islands’ Special Volcanic Risk Protection Plan (Pevolca) will use this footage to further study the processes involved in the formation of lava plains.
Lava plains form when lava reaches the ocean or another large body of water. This contact causes the lava to cool, while the water boils and generates steam. If the lava flow continues, a lava delta will eventually emerge. A prominent example of land formed in this way is the Hawaiian Islands.
Lava flowing into the Pacific Ocean at Kupapa‘u Point, Kilauea, Hawaii. (Photo: USGS)
In fact, the Big Island of Hawaii is still expanding due to this phenomenon. Here, lava from the Kilauea volcano flows into the Pacific Ocean, forming an unstable lava delta. Once solidified, it will become additional land for the island.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano began erupting on September 19, with a new crack opening on September 24. Since the eruptions started three weeks ago, approximately 6,700 people have been evacuated. The lava has destroyed around 1,000 buildings, devastating villages and agricultural land.
The lava reached the Atlantic Ocean at an estimated speed of 0.8 km/h on October 7. This created plumes of smoke that experts warn could lead to skin and respiratory issues for residents of La Palma. In addition to steam, the interaction between lava and water also produces volcanic smog (laze), which is highly acidic and can contain chlorine.
This mixture has the irritating and corrosive properties of dilute acid found in batteries, making it necessary to avoid. Laze can be carried by the wind, so its corrosive effects can extend far beyond where the lava flows into the sea, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
