The film follows earth scientists as they work among the volcanoes of the Big Island Hawaii, pursuing clues and compiling evidence in a quest to shed light on the mysterious inner-Earth process that has been producing giant volcanoes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for more than 75 million years.

Scientists have long been puzzled over the source of the huge quantities of lava erupting out of Hawaii's massive volcanoes. Does the lava come from just below the Earth's crust? Or does it come from much deeper, perhaps even as far down as the Earth's core, some 1,800 miles below the surface?

The film focuses on an international team of scientists who take on these key questions with a major drilling project into the flanks of Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest volcano.

After years of painstaking research, startling new discoveries are made. Not only have the scientists determined where the lava is coming from, but they have solved other long-standing mysteries about the workings of Hawaii's magnificent volcanoes.

This project was funded by the National Science Foundation Continental Dynamics and Informal Science Education Programs.

Web Page: http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/hrof.html

Reviews
"Hawaii: Root of Fire combines beautiful footage of Hawaiian landscapes with the impressive artistic reconstructions of the Earth's deep interior to tell the remarkable story of the geological mechanism that feeds the Hawaiian volcanoes. Hidden within Earth's mantle, there is a deep plume of hot and partly molten rock known as a hotspot. This is a fascinating geological phenomenon that has only recently attracted the attention of earth scientists. This entertaining and educational film is a must-see for both students and educators in the earth sciences."