Volcanic bomb

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A volcanic bomb or lava bomb is a mass of partially molten rock (tephra) larger than 64 mm (2.5 inches) in diameter, formed when a volcano ejects viscous fragments of lava during an eruption. Because volcanic bombs cool after they leave the volcano, they are extrusive igneous rocks. Volcanic bombs can be thrown many kilometres from an erupting vent, and often acquire aerodynamic shapes during their flight. Volcanic bombs can be extremely large; the 1935 eruption of Mount Asama in Japan expelled bombs measuring 5–6 m (16-20 ft) in diameter to a distance up to 600 m (2,000 ft) from the vent. Volcanic bombs are a potentially deadly volcanic hazard in an eruption zone. In an incident at Galeras volcano in Colombia in 1993, six people near the summit were killed and several seriously injured by lava bombs when an eruption broke out unexpectedly. On July 16, 2018, 23 people were injured on a tour boat near the Kilauea volcano by a basketball-sized lava bomb from the Puna eruption. Volcanic bombs...

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