When a south (kona) wind blows, Pele's hair can easily reach the Jaggar Museum Overlook area in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, where it drapes ‘ōhi‘a like tinsel on a Christmas tree.ĭrifts of Pele's hair can survive for years and even decades, but, once the eruption has ended, wind will strip the hair from most surfaces.

This close-up of Pele's hair shows how the individual strands of volcanic glass can become aligned with wind direction.