Scientists Investigate Formation of Volcanic Glass Strands Called Pele's Hair

Pele's hair refers to extremely thin strands of volcanic glass that form during volcanic eruptions. These strands are named after Pele, a figure in Hawaiian mythology linked to volcanism. They have been observed in volcanic regions such as Hawaii and Iceland, where they can accumulate in yards and rain gutters.

The strands typically appear light brown or yellow and can reach lengths up to 2 feet, according to Katie Mulliken, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Recent activity at Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island resulted in Pele's hair traveling about 20 miles to the town of Pahala.

The Boston Globe reported that these strands can be carried by wind, highlighting their ability to spread far from the eruption site.

Traditionally, Pele's hair forms when lava fragments are ejected into the air and stretched by volcanic gases, as explained by Janina Gillies, a geologist at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. This process can produce strands of varying lengths. However, researchers noted that bundles of hundreds or thousands of aligned strands sometimes appear, which required further investigation.

A team led by Gillies and Ed Llewellin, a volcanologist at Durham University in England, hypothesized that stretching bubbly magma without gas jets might create these bundles. Llewellin recalled finding such a formation on Hawaii's Big Island, initially mistaking it for a human ponytail.

To test this idea, the team conducted initial experiments using hokey pokey, a sugary dessert with air bubbles, to simulate the stretching process.

The experiments demonstrated that air bubbles were essential for forming long strands. The team then collaborated with glass artists, including Colin Rennie from the National Glass Center at the University of Sunderland in England. Rennie prepared glass pieces with powdered calcium carbonate, which created gas bubbles when heated to about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the experiments, the heated glass pucks were stretched using a device called the Pullificator, designed by Rennie. The process had to be completed quickly, within about a minute, to capture the molten state. The team found that pucks with air bubbles filling about three-quarters of the space produced threads resembling Pele's hair when stretched.