Viscosity of Lava

Palmer, by assuming that the Alika flow of Hawaii when liquid was turbulent, found that its viscosity was 15 times that of water. Becker, who also assumed turbulent motion, found that the viscosty of the 1840 flow of Hawaii was 60 times that of water. Dimensional analysis, however, proves that these flows moved with laminar motion and therefore the viscosities computed by Becker and Palmer are in error. By using the Jeffreys formula, the viscosity of the Alika flow is found to have been about 287,000 times the value calculated by Palmer. The specific gravity, the thickness, and the gradient of the last 6 miles of the Mc-Cartys flow are known. If it is assumed that the viscosity was similar to that of the 1887 flow of Hawaii, the velocity in this area, calculated by the Jeffreys formula, is 4.8 miles per hour. This figure, together with a consideration of the flow mechanism of the flow, indicates that it covered the last 6 miles in about 12 hours. The volume of the last 6 miles of the flow is known, and, as the time necessary to cover this distance has been calculated, the rate of extrusion of lava can also be calculated. It is found to be approximately 178,320,000 cubic feet per hour.