Walk cautiously out onto the flow and you can see the structure of the lava which includes many features that are more often seen in fresh Hawaiian lava flows. One of the most apparent is the pahoehoe texture of the surface of the flow. The texture forms when the surface of the flowing lava begins to cool, and the underlying, hotter lava is still flowing. The cooler surface is dragged along by the flowing lava underneath, and forms the wrinkled or coiled rope appearance.