Energy Workers Drilling In Hawaii Accidentally Hit Magma

December 17, 2008 11:17 a.m. EST

San Francisco, CA (AHN) - An energy crew drilling on the island of Hawaii has discovered magma, the molten rock material that has never been found in its natural habitat.

Scientist Bruce Marsh, with Johns Hopkins University, said magma is the central ingredient in the evolution of planets and the "lifeblood" of all volcanoes. The discovery of magma in Hawaii gives scientists an unprecedented opportunity to understand the substance, Marsh said.

"As scientists, we've hypothesized about the nature and behavior of magma in literally countless studies, but before now, the real thing has never been found or been physically investigated in its natural habitat within the earth," Marsh, a professor of earth and planetary sciences at Johns Hopkins, said in a statement.

Magma is the subterranean form of lava. Underground, it reaches temperatures of more than 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit.

Workers from the geothermal energy company Ormat discovered the magma when drilling an injection well and hit a chamber of the substance about a mile-and-a-half down. The magma quickly rose about 20 feet ups into the drill hole before becoming glass-like as it cooled, Marsh said. The workers drilled the area several times with the same results.