You're taking a stroll when you stumble on a strange clump of hair. Most people wouldn't think much of it - but what if I told you this naturally forming mass of strings does not come from animals, plants or people! 😲 What could it be?
The first thing you should know is you'll only find this stuff if you're walking near volcanic activity. Hawaii is most famously known for these mysterious hairs. You can also find them in Nicaragua, Italy, Iceland, and Ethiopia.
The second fact is they can be dangerous to touch without gloves. Shards of this material can break off in your hand and embed themselves like glass splinters. Ouch!
Lastly, the most common name for the fibers is "Pele's hair," named after the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes. Surprisingly, these straw colored strands are actually fine pieces of volcanic glass!
The process behind Pele's hair is pretty intriguing. Little bubbles of lava are ejected from volcanic vents. When the bubbles pop, the wind lengthens the lava into fine strings that can catch a ride kilometers away. Sometimes the glass strings are attached to larger bits of cooled lava, called "Pele's tears," but most of the time the string breaks off.
Pele's hair can accumulate all over the place if it's in the general vicinity of the active volcano. Residents of Hawaii can spot the fibrous glass clinging to radio antennas, tall trees, and telephone poles. Some have even seen birds making nests of the stuff!
Investigating dried lava got me thinking - which places in the world can I visit to find active volcanoes? Indonesia has a bunch, and so does Russia. But did you know that if you looked at erupting volcanoes over the last 12,000 years, the United States tops the list?! Check it out!
If I brought this graph to my classroom, here are some questions I'd have to go along with it:
💡Which country had the most active volcanoes since 1950? How many active volcanoes were there in this country? Indonesia has the most active volcanoes since 1950 with about 75 volcanoes in this area.
💡How does the volcanic activity in Ecuador compare to Mexico? What similarities do these countries have? What differences do they have? Ecuador and Mexico have roughly the same amount of active volcanoes in the last 12,000 years at about 40. Ecuador has had more active volcanoes than Mexico since the year 1950.
💡The "Ring of Fire" is a subduction zone that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. Compare the countries listed on the graph to a world map. What patterns do you see? Most of the countries that appear on the volcano graph are found on the Ring of Fire surrounding the Pacific Plate.
The next time you find yourself near any volcanic vents, keep your eyes peeled for Pele's hair - and think about all the processes that helped create it!
- Chris
