Photograph by J.D. Griggs on 21 August 1990
Pahoehoe blister
Blisters are thin-walled basaltic-glass bubbles formed by
the release of volcanic gas from the surface of a pahoehoe
flow. Like a glass blower that blows air into molten glass to
create a goblet or vase, gas released from lava may force the
thin glassy crust of a lava flow to form a large bubble or
blister. They are found on all types of pahoehoe flows.
Image: Blister on the surface of a
pahoehoe flow, Kilauea Volcano,
Hawai`i. Note U.S. quarter for scale.
Other pahoehoe textures
