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New eruption in Hawaii’s Kilaeua volcano
One of the most active volcanos on Earth is erupting on Hawaii’s Big Island. Officials with the US Geological Survey confirmed Wednesday that an eruption has begun in Kilauea volcano’s Halemaumau crater at the volcano’s summit. (Sept. 30)
AP
Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano, one of the most active on Earth, has begun erupting again, with lava fountains forming and smoke billowing from the crater at the volcano’s summit.
The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed Wednesday the eruption began and raised the volcano alert level to “warning” and the aviation code to red.
The eruption at the Halemaʻumaʻu crater, however, appeared to be be contained within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and posed no threat to homes in the area for now, USGS officials said.
“All signs indicate that it will stay within the crater,” said Ken Hon, USGS scientist in charge of Hawaii Volcano Observatory. “We’re not seeing any indications that lava is moving into the lower part of the east rift zone where people live. Currently all the activity is within the park.”
Photos and video from the crater showed lava fountains forming and volcanic gases escaping. The release of gases remains the primary hazard in the eruption, with water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide forming “vog,”or volcanic smog, downwind of the volcano, the USGS said.
The first vent opened on the floor of the crater around 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, the USGS tweeted. By 4:40 p.m., a new vent on the west side of the crater opened as well, with video being captured of the moment the lava came bursting out.
The initial vents of the new Kīlauea summit eruption appeared on the central crater floor yesterday at about 3:20 p.m. HST. Just after 4:40 p.m., a new vent opened on the west wall of the crater, and the initial moments were captured in this video! #KilaueaErupds #Kilauea pic.twitter.com/6OJjFM0caU
— USGS Volcanoes (@USGSVolcanoes) September 30, 2021
Lava, sulfur and steam: After the 2018 volcano eruption, Hawaii residents struggle to recover
National park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane told Hawaii News Now the park was already experiencing an influx of visitors Wednesday evening and planned for more to come Thursday.
“We’re excited, but we’re also cautious,” she told the TV station. She said the park remained open but urged visitors to be cautious with the both the eruption and the risk of COVID-19.
The Kīlauea volcano has a long history of eruptions as the most active volcano on Hawaii, but it’s also the islands’ youngest, according to the National Park Service.
From the 2018 eruption: The science behind the eruption of Kilauea
The shield volcano erupted in 2018 in an event that destroyed 700 homes and displaced thousands of residents. Large lava flows continued from May through August, and roughly 320,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools of lava came out of the volcano spewed out, according to the park service. The lava covered streets and landmarks and flowed into neighborhoods. Earthquakes altered the summit area of the volcano as well, with the Halemaʻumaʻu crater growing from 280 feet deep to about 1,600 feet.
Before the 2018 eruption, Kīlauea had been continuously erupting since 1983 in minor events. Occasionally, lava would spill into the ocean and roads during this period.
The same area that erupted Wednesday had also been erupting from December to May. Hon said these continuous eruptions could last years.
“We do know that one thing that happens is that the magma keeps coming in to Kīlauea at a pretty constant rate and so it’s either filling the inside of the volcano and repressurize it or it’s coming out to the surface.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
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