238 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE CHAP. VI 
‘The most imposing crater in the world is 
probably that of Kilauea, at a height of 
about 4000 feet on the side of Mouna Loa, 
in the Island of Hawaii. It has a diameter 
of 2 miles, and is elliptic in outline, with a 
longer axis of about 3, and a circumference 
of about 7 miles. The interior is a great 
lake of lava, the level of which is constantly 
changing. Generally, it stands about 800 
feet below the edge, and the depth is about 
1400 feet. The heat is intense, and, espe- 
cially at night, when the clouds are coloured 
scarlet by the reflection from the molten 
lava, the effect is said to be magnificent. 
Gradually the lava mounts in the crater 
until it either bursts through the side or 
runs over the edge, after which the crater 
remains empty, sometimes for years. 
A lava stream flows down the slope of 
the mountain like a burning river, at first 
rapidly, but as it cools, scoriz gradually 
form, and at length the molten matter 
covers itself completely (Fig. 22), both above 
and at the sides, with a solid crust, within 
which, as in a tunnel, it continues to flow 
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