Wearing heavy cotton clothing, head protection and a device to help her breathe, Jessica Ball recently spent the night observing lava (岩浆) coming out of Hawaii’s Kilauca Volcano.
Ball is a researcher from the United States Geological Survey, the agency which studies the country’s land and natural resources. She was at “fissure 8”, one of at least 22 holes that have opened around the Kilauea Volcano in the past two months.
Rock from deep inside the volcano is so hot that it has become a liquid. The liquid, known as lava, began flowing from the openings in early May. At “fissure 8”, the lava shot up as high as 45 meters in the air before slowly heading for the Pacific Ocean a few kilometers away.
Scientists have been in the area of the volcanic activity measuring the eruptions 24 hours a day, seven days a week since Kilauea first erupted. The severe heat will melt (融化) any non-natural clothing materials, so the team members can only wear heavy cotton. Gloves protect their hands from sharp volcanic rock and glass. Head coverings protect against falling lava stones, and breathing devices protect against gases coming from the openings.
Kilauea has been erupting almost without stopping since 1983. It is one of the world’s most closely observed volcanoes. Most of these observations took place at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Kilauea’s highest point, from which researchers have now had to escape. But the latest eruption is the biggest and could provide scientists with a lot of new information.
Ball says they want to learn what warning signs may exist for future eruptions to better protect Hawaii’s communities.
Hundreds of small earthquakes caused by the eruptions have damaged the structure of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. So scientists pulled equipment and records out of the building and moved them to the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
【小题1】Why do scientists wear heavy cotton clothes while observing the volcano?| A．They can bear severe heat. | B．They are natural and healthy. |
| C．They are comfortable to wear. | D．They can stop poisonous gases. |
| A．It lasts long. | B．It has wide influence. |
| C．It is closely observed. | D．It offers much information. |
| A．To prevent eruptions. | B．To predict eruptions. |
| C．To find the cause of eruptions. | D．To measure the power of eruptions. |
| A．The Hawaii Volcano Has Been Erupting | B．The Greatest Eruption Appears in Hawaii |
| C．Scientists Risk Heat and Gas to Study a Volcano | D．A rare Chance to Observe Volcano |
