Several times a year, one of the most active volcanoes in the world sends an unstoppable flow of molten lava into the surrounding forest of Big Island in Hawaii. Not only can the lava oozing from the mouth of Kilauea Volcano effortlessly clear hundreds of trees, leaving smouldering ruins and spot-fires in its wake, it's wraught complete and utter destruction to nearby communities - most recently in November 2014. Hawaiian photographer Lance Page from Page Films has managed to film the lava flow, and you can now watch it in timelapse form above.
Page talks about the experience at his Vimeo page:
"This 6.5 minute film is my best attempt at capturing what it felt like to witness molten rock slowly burning down a dense wet rainforest or to peer into a six-hundred-foot-wide lava lake at Kilauea's summit crater. I've never been anywhere else on the planet that demanded as much respect and awareness for the natural environment around me. Her unexpected beauty and unsettling sense of danger were nothing short of humbling and put so much into perspective. Kilauea really did change my life."
Thought to be around 600,000 years old, Kilauea has been erupting constantly since 1983, with most of the lava flowing south of its gaping mouth. But over the past two years, the lava flow has veered northeast, which increasingly points it towards residential areas.
Last month, lava spewed from the east side of the volcano, and according to The Sydney Morning Herald, the flow slowed down to cover about 0.8 km of forest in less than 24 hours. It was heading towards the subdivision of Eden Roc, home to about 450 people, but never made it close enough to threaten homes.
Watch the film above to watch countless trees be swallowed up by firey goo, and if you still haven't got your lava fix, we've got scientists cooking a lava steak below. You're welcome.
H/T: SPLOID