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Currently, in today’s world, volcanoes of the past are beginning to come alive again. As recently as a couple of months ago, volcanoes around the world have been erupting. Being from an area of high volcanic activity, Hawaiians get a tremendous view of the Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes. These non-explosive volcanoes make Hawaii a safer place to study volcanic activity.(Brantley) “Eruptions of Hawaiian volcanoes are typically non-explosive because of the composition of the magma. Almost all of the magma erupted from Hawaii's volcanoes forms dark gray to black volcanic rock (called basalt), generally in the form of lava flows and, less commonly, as fragmented lava such as volcanic bombs, cinders, pumice, and ash. Basalt magma is more fluid than the other types of magma (andesite, dacite, and rhyolite). Consequently, expanding volcanic gases can escape from basalt relatively easily and can propel lava high into the air, forming brilliant fountains sometimes called "curtains of fire."”(Brantley) “Volcanic gases generally consist predominantly of steam (H2O), followed in abundance by carbon dioxide and compounds of sulfur and chlorine.” (Hoblitt) “