Monday, March 23, 2009

Huehue Lava Flow Mauka of Kona Airport


Kona Airport sits on the Huehue pahoehoe flow, which covers the coast from OTEC to Kona Coast State Park, and which issued from an elevated and elongated vent called Puhia Pele ("blown out by Pele"). The land is targeted for a motorsports park, possibly not the most appropriate neighbor for the wilderness coast that Kona Coast State Park is supposed to be. (click on photo for larger version)
Some of the lava forms are quite striking:

and

and

2 comments:

Tom said...

Nice pictures, John. As you may or may not know, I'm a beginner photographer and after a few months of learning how to take pictures I'm thinking of taking my new hobby a little more seriously. One problem I've had is how to take pictures of lava, because as you know that's all there is in some places, but you've given me a little inspiration! Thank you!

Tom

John Powell said...

Lava is difficult to photograph (as demonstrated in these photos!). I feel that it's not only dark, it has dark energy, sucking light (That barely makes sense even to me, so sorry if incomprehensible) Sometimes, as here, you can get the surface reflection, rather than the lava color (only from 1801, so black.)But as you say, bare lava is a fair percentage of our land here, and some of the forms the flows make are cool.