Pele's tears are small droplets that shoot out of volcanoes. They get their name because they are the shape of a tear. They are jet black in color. They are often found on the end of Pele's hair..

Pele's hair is made when glassy strings of lava dry in the air. Sometimes Pele's hair is carried for miles in the wind. They usually come out of lava fountains. They have a diameter of no more than 0.5mm. Pele's hair and Pele's tears are named after the Hawaiian goddess.

During an eruption lava piles into cones. Other lava is shot through the air. These chunks of lava called "bombs" are named for their shapes. Round bombs, spindle bombs and ribbon bombs are created by lava the gets hard before it hits the ground. Bombs that do not get hard before hitting the ground are called cow dung or pancake bombs. Pele's tears are little drop-shaped pieces. Pele's hair can be carried on the wind for miles and miles.

"Flowing lava" is named for the way it looks. This lava is smooth and glossy, like batter when it is poured into a pan. It is called "pahoehoe". Lava that has a tougher surface is known as "a'a". The super hot lava that first pours out of the volcano is pahoehoe. As the pahoehoe pours down the volcano, it loses its gasses and it cools down.

As seas of pahoehoe race down the sides of the volcano, it goes through forests and surrounds living trees. The lava cools around the trees, leaving behind a "tree mold". The superior heat causes the inside of the mold to remain empty or hollow.

Sometimes the outer layer of the lava hardens into a crust while the lava inside is still running. When the crust is thick enough, it is called a "lava tube". The inside of a lava tube is so hot that melting lava drips from the ceiling.

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