Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has erupted

Kilauea volcano in Hawaii began erupting on Wednesday, just hours after an eruption watch was issued, reports CNN.

Just before 4:45 AM, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected a glow in  Kīlauea summit webcam images – images which demonstrated that the eruption started within the volcano’s Halema’uma’u crater, which began with fissures at the crater’s floor emitting lava.

Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency says there is currently no indication that populated areas are threatened, as activity is confined to this crate – but the situation will be reassessed.

A live stream of the volcano from the USGS caught the beginning of the eruption, with lava bubbling up in bursts through the crate, which started before dawn. The video shows effervescent lava rupture through the surface of the crater, fountaining into the air accompanied by clouds of ash, reports CNN.

Kilauea has several erupted several times in recent years – and these eruptions take some time. The last eruption began January 5 and went on until March 7. Prior to that, the volcano had intermittent eruptions from September 2021 through March 2022. The worst eruption stemming from this volcano was the Pu’u’ō’ō’ Eruption, which lasted a grand total of 35 years, from 1983 to 2018. It ended when the crater floor and lava lake of Pu’u’ō’ō’, a cone on the eastern zone of the volcano, „catastrophically collapsed”.

For now, the most recent eruption is within a closed area of Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park, the USGS said, and there is no observable activity migrating out of the summit. at this point In the agency’s latest update, it was reported that there are multiple active lava fountains shooting up between 13 and 30 feet high and at least one fissure.

While the lava is contained, the USGS said that volcanic gas emissions in the area are elevated, with a whopping 65,000 tons of sulfur dioxide being emitted per day. As such, residents have been urged to reduce their exposure and stay indoors or wear face masks, as the biggest concern is the high levels of volcanic gas and water vapor, carbon and sulfur dioxide are continuously released, reports CBS. Sulfur dioxide specifically will contribute to volcanic smog, known as vog, which creates a visible haze. Vog has already been observed with this eruption.

Thin glass fibers formed by gas during an eruption, known as Pele’s Hair (after Hawaii’s volcano goddess), also pose a risk and have been seen settling over the city of Pāhala. These fibers form when gas bubbles burst near the surface of lava and stretch its membrane into elongated threads, informs the National Park Service.

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