How Pele's hair' sprouts from erupting lava

"The fragile-looking filaments of cooled lava known as Pele's hair can form when pockets of bubble-rich lava pull apart rapidly, experiments suggest."

Pele's hair consists of delicate glass filaments created from cooled lava. Research demonstrates that these fragile structures form through a specific mechanism: pockets of lava containing numerous bubbles undergo rapid stretching and separation while still in their molten state. As the lava cools during this process of being pulled apart, it solidifies into the characteristic fine glass fibres known as Pele's hair. This formation process explains the unique physical properties and appearance of these volcanic glass structures.

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