Science Art: Boulder ejected from Halemaumau, at Kīlauea, May 11, 1925

Scientific illustration of the aftermath of a volcanic eruption, with a man in a suit standing beside a large rock, apparently holding his arms out for scale. Such was science in 1925.
Clark by large boulder, NE flat, that bounced toward pit. [Rough Notes in Record Book indicate time as 11:30.] [P2]
Scientific illustration of the aftermath of a volcanic eruption, with a man in a suit standing beside a large rock, apparently holding his arms out for scale. Such was science in 1925.

Such was science in 1925. A man in a fedora and tie, pointing at impact craters on the ground, standing next to a large rock, resting one foot on it in fact. He’s probably a geologist … but maybe just a witness?

Oh, no, he’s a scientist alright: In the US Geological Survey page where I found the image, it says: On May 11, Ruy Finch and W.O. Clark visited Halemaumau and found a rock fragment weighing about 180 kg (400 pounds) that had been thrown 60 meters (200 feet) from the rim of the crater.

This was almost exactly 100 years ago, and 34 years before Hawaii became a state in 1959. It has always had volcanoes, rumbling under the surface.