Lowry
has been photographing lava on Hawaii's Big Island since 1991, and
recently began taking video of experiments placing canned food and drink
items in active lava flows. His YouTube videos have, unsurprisingly,
garnered a lot of attention.
"These are simple experiments showing
people what does happen to certain objects when lava hits them," Lowry
told The Huffington Post. "I never expected these videos to be so
popular. Thought maybe a few hundred science-type people might watch and
like them."
The videos, shot with a Nikon D800 and GoPro Hero 2,
show red-hot, gelatinous lava devouring everything in its path, reducing
the cans to a liquid state and burning up the contents.
"The items I put in melted down to nothing -- liquified into the rock itself," Lowry said. "There's nothing to find or dig up."
Lowry
said he evaluates the volcanic activity and shoots video only if he
feels it is safe. "I'm not interested in risking my life for a silly
photo or video," he said. "I'm patient and shoot what the volcano lets
me."
Kilauea volcano has been continuously erupting since 1983
and is considered one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The
volcano makes up the southeastern tip of Hawaii Island, including
Volcanoes National Park. Breakout lava flows, such as those seen in
Lowry's footage, happen often on the Big Island, bringing lava into
rural forested areas as well as residential areas.