It’s because the hotspot has a chemical composition that is generally low in dissolved gasses and very liquid/flows well. (Lots of silicates I think?)
It tends to come out nicely and stay liquid as it leaves, so vents don’t plug up. Also, because of the relatively low dissolved gasses, pressure doesn’t spike as high when it’s flowing out of the chamber like many other magmas do, causing explosions.
Hawaii exists basically because it’s great for building up islands/mountains without blowing them up as part of the process.
Your initial post read the other way, which the parent post is addressing.
Amazing experience. A bunch of us were stupid as can be, but got as close as approx 50 m. Sounds really dangerous, but the sputter were not that violent yet, and the ground sloped away from us. Still, really stupidly dangerous (the sputter wall could've broken down, wind direction change, etc). But it didn't. Lots of moss fires, and walked into a small slope and immediately felt a sting in my nose and lungs from trapped gases so took that as a nope and went back.
Started walking back at 0130 something, boarded flight at 0600, fainted (I had done Mt Esja in the morning too). Sorry other passengers, it was inconsiderate of me and I was an asshole for that. But... that experience...!
Is there anything comparable to the overview effect [1] that attends seeing a lava fountain in person?
Still get frisson every time I think about it ;)
Depends how close you go to see.
If you wanna see it more than once, don't go too close.
That said, it feels like a once in a lifetime experience, yes. See my video: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4NDM1Nzg1OTAyMTA0...
As my first eruption encounter, I didn’t expect to experience several things like the heat even from a long distance, enough to keep me warm in my shorts at 60F, and the loud rumble, like a giant waterfall. The flow of lava was way faster than I expected too, almost like oil.
Mind blown.