January 02, 2006

"Volcano" Watching at Bishop Museum

Upstairs at the volcano exhibit at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. (Click on the link for the "Virtual tour" to see some of the stuff we saw.The exhibit was very interactive, demonstrating how earthquakes and landslides generate tsunamis, and a dynamic exhibit showing how lava flows underground until it comes to a vent. There were exhibits showing how the ocean floor is mapped, and also showing how the new Lo'ihi volcano is forming at the "hot spot" under the Pacific tectonic plate. The volcano in the background is controlled by buttons simulating varying gaseous and magma conditions.

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