Kamokuna Bench Collapse at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

This dramatic video shows huge plumes of smoke as lava flows into the ocean after a large section of a lava delta at the Kamokuna ocean entry of Kilauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park collapsed on New Year’s EveAfter the so-called “bench collapse”, the viewing area at the National Park was closed as park rangers and USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists surveyed the area.
A “bench” forms as lava flows over a seacliff into the ocean, forming an unstable ramp of rubble that can be undermined by landslides and slumps, causing a collapse. The collapse exposes the hot interior of the bench to the sea water, causing an explosion of acidic steam and rubble.