But Orr, who found the object while collecting samples on the rim of Halemaumau Crater on Jan. 8, said it may have been formed by a different process than Pele’s Tears. Pele’s tears are formed when small bits of molten lava in fountains quickly cool and form small, solid glass particles shaped like tear drops. Orr speculates that the object may have formed after the initial collapse explosion, while the lava lake was still unsettled and sending spatter into the air.