This Photo Shows a 65-Foot-Tall Lava Dome

Here’s a strange and beautiful photo of a lava dome during a volcanic eruption. It’s not just any bubble, though: the dome pictured is rising a whopping 65 feet (20m) into the air.

The United States Geological Survey writes that the photo was captured between October 10 and 13 in 1969 during the eruption of the Kilauea Volcano. The formation is called a “dome fountain.” This type of bubbling may not be unusual, but symmetrical dome fountains like this one are rare, the USGS says.

And in case you’re not sure how high 65 feet is, this is roughly what it might look like for an adult human to be standing next to the dome:

Another view of this dome on the USGS website notes that this dome may have reached over 245 feet (75m) tall at one point during the eruption.

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Image creditsPhotographs by J.B. Judd/USGS. Human silhouette by Linda Salzman Sagan and licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.