Collecting A Sample
Collecting A Sample
Here a geologist is collecting a sample from a small pahoehoe toe. As
long as there are only small areas of active incandescent lava, the flow
can be approached long enough to collect a blob on the end of a hammer
with only gloves, long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and boots for
protection (it is still pretty uncomfortable). The sample will be
analyzed in a laboratory to determine the chemical constituents. By
collecting samples all through an eruption, geologists can study processes
that go on down in the magma chamber and even within the mantle where the
magma is generated.
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