Thurston Lava Tube

I am standing with my arms fully extended above me to emphasize the height of the Thurston Lava Tube.

The recent activity at the East Rift Zone has been a bit abnormal. When a young lava flow breaks out, it will either die out within a couple days to weeks or it will continue in the same general direction long enough for a lava tube to form. Lava tubes are tunnels of lava built out of a thick lava flow. The upper layer of the lava flow is exposed to the cool air and solidifies. Meanwhile, underneath the solidified ceiling, hot lava continues to flow, well, at least as lava keeps a-coming.

The Kilauea current flow, however, keeps changing directions with breakouts all over the place. As someone at work said, “it is a bit disorganized.” As a result, a thick lava tube has not yet formed.

Lava tubes can grow to be several meters high. A good example of this can be seen at the Thurston Lava Tube within the National Park. This approximately 400 years old lava tube has ceilings up to 9 meters or 30 feet high. The ancient lava tube was discovered in 1913 by Lorrin Thurston, a newspaper publisher. Located across from the start of the Kilauea Iki trail, the lava tube consists of two parts. I visited the tube this weekend as part of my self-tour around the National Park.

The first part of the tube is well lit. The dark cave glows an eerie red as you walk deeper into the tube. This part is generally littered with tourists which generally nixes the whole fear factor.

A view into the lit section of the Thurston Lava Tube.

The second part is dark. Only true explorers like myself venture into this latter tube. The only way to successfully conquer this cave (at least uninjured, since the footing is uneven at places) is with a personal flashlight or the force. I opted for a headlamp. Extending twice as far as the lit cave, I must admit that my nerves wavered at points (especially when my roommate started talking about ghosts). Occasional dripping water and the decreasing height of the dark, rocky ceiling upped the spookiness. To reach the very end, my roommate and I had to crawl on our hands and knees to reach the final wall (see the picture below).

I am crouched down a few meters from the back wall. I made it!

Maybe if the Kilauealava flows get their act together, they will form an epic lava tube like Thurston. But until now, the flows will continue moving in disarray (and thus, keep prompting me to visit the field).