st. helens and-- >> so it's a huge, huge explosion. >> massive explosion and all this material flowed in here and then it settled down and solidified, and it's pink because it was a very foamy material, a very foamy air-filled material. >> wow. >> so that's why it's a different color from the black basalt that was a slow flow that came in later. >> and the red rock which is sandstone. >> sandstone that was at the bottom of the lakes. >> see, i'm learning my geology-- >> isn't it amazing? >> --pretty quickly. yeah, but i guess most people ask these same questions, don't they? >> absolutely, the same questions. they look at all of this and say "why, why, why?" and that's my job, is to explain to 'em how this happened and why it is the way it is. >> now, this really just happened. this was not planned, was it, jim? >> no, it was not. >> you were reachin' down to pick up this piece of basalt to show us what basalt looked and felt like, and this basalt was put here approximately how many years ago? >> oh, many million-- 10, maybe as much as 13, 14 million years ago. >> give or take, a few mil

st. helens. likely to dump ash on surrounding towns. 20 miles away, kalapala is not in imminent danger, that is until something changes. >> late 1986. it stopped high fountaining and started to form lava flows and lava tubes which is the transportation system that allows the lava to go long distances. >> because of this new tube in 1986, the lava flowing from kilauea has a much greater reach, putting nearby towns on high alert. many residents of kalapana have a theological explanation for all of this. some hawaiians traditionally attribute the predictable volcanic activity to the goddess pele, the fire goddess. >> the fire goddess in hawaiian mythology it is the manifestation of pele. when she's active, it's obvious why the hawaiians gave a deity to that, because it looks like it's alive. >> kilauea continues to pump out lava, and for three years residents live with on again/off again lava flows that once reach into their community, causing some isolated destruction. but then in june of 1989, the