Information about Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii.
Bench collapse |
Laze is a hydrochloric acid mist formed by the action of lava on seawater.
Extreme heat from lava entering the sea rapidly boils and vaporizes seawater, leading to a series of chemical reactions.
The boiling and reactions produce a large white plume, locally known as lava haze or laze, which contains a mixture of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and concentrated seawater.
Sulphur dioxide gas and other pollutants emitted from volcanoes react with oxygen and moisture to produce volcanic smog (vog) and acid rain.
Vog creates a health hazard by agrivating pre-existing respiratory ailments.
When lava meets the sea, large steam plumes ( "laze"- lava haze) are created as the more than 1100°C (2012 °F) lava boils and vaporizes seawater. A portion of this steam recondenses and rains out of the plume as acidic precipitation that has been enriched with seawater salt, and contains tiny glass fragments generated by the intense physical interaction of hot lava and cool seawater.
Observers in the path of the ocean entry plume may encounter a mist or rain of what amounts to a mixture of salty battery acid,
laced with tiny glass shards. Even if moisture is not felt downwind of the ocean entry, a non-condensing plume still contains hydrochloric and other acid gases. Inhaling or contacting acid gases and liquids can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory tract and may cause breathing difficulties, particularly to those with pre-existing respiratory problems.