Hornito — A what?? Is that some kind of new crunchy nacho cheese flavored chip?! No, not quite.
A hornito is a small rootless spatter cone that forms on the surface of a basaltic lava flow (usually pahoehoe). A hornito develops when lava is forced up through an opening in the cooled surface of a flow and then accumulates around the opening. Typically, hornitos are steep sided and form conspicuous pinnacles or stacks. They are "rootless" because they are fed by lava from the underlying flow instead of from a deeper magma conduit. The hornito in this photo recently formed over the lava tube on the north flank of Puʻu ʻŌʻō, Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii at the spot of a breakout that occurred on November 25.
Though, we are pretty curious what a Hornito Chip would taste like...it would likely have lots of burn. 🔥
#USGS #science #volcano #Hawaii #hornito #Kilauea#magma #lava #geology
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