Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano resumed erupting on Tuesday, firing lava 330 feet into the sky from its summit crater.It’s the 32nd time the volcano has released molten rock since December, when its current eruption began. So far, all the lava from this eruption has been contained within the summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.Lava emerged from the north vent in Halemaumau Crater after midnight. The vent began shooting fountains of lava at 6:35 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said. By mid-morning, it was also erupting from the crater’s south vent and a third vent in between.Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It’s located on Hawaii Island, the largest of the Hawaiian archipelago. It’s about 200 miles south of the state’s largest city, Honolulu, which is on Oahu.
(Video: USGS via CNN Newsource) —
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano resumed erupting on Tuesday, firing lava 330 feet into the sky from its summit crater.
It’s the 32nd time the volcano has released molten rock since December, when its current eruption began. So far, all the lava from this eruption has been contained within the summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Lava emerged from the north vent in Halemaumau Crater after midnight. The vent began shooting fountains of lava at 6:35 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said. By mid-morning, it was also erupting from the crater’s south vent and a third vent in between.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It’s located on Hawaii Island, the largest of the Hawaiian archipelago. It’s about 200 miles south of the state’s largest city, Honolulu, which is on Oahu.
1 /2 USGS Live view from Halemaumau crater from the southern rim of the caldera [V3cam ]. This camera is a pan-tilt-zoom model and the view may change depending on activity.
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY A screenshot shows lava fountaining from Halemaumau crater from the southern rim of the caldera this afternoon 2 /2 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY A screenshot shows lava fountaining from Halemaumau crater from the southern rim of the caldera this afternoon U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY A screenshot shows lava fountaining from Halemaumau crater from the southern rim of the caldera this afternoon Episode 31 of the ongoing Kilauea eruption began this afternoon, sending lava fountains shooting from Halemaumau crater as the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory warned residents about potential hazards.
The eruption started at 2 :04 p.m., with fountaining from the north vent that reached roughly 100 feet high initially. Previous episodes have produced fountains over 1, 000 feet and eruptive plumes as high as 20, 000 feet above sea level, the HVO said.
All activity remains confined to Halemaumau crater within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and officials said commercial airports in Hawaii County are not affected. Winds from the northeast at 15 to 20 mph may push volcanic gas and fine particles toward areas south and southwest of the summit, according to the National Weather Service.
HVO said high levels of sulfur dioxide emissions—typically about 50, 000 tons per day during eruptive episodes—may lead to vog forming downwind of Kilauea. Residents in affected areas are urged to limit exposure, especially those with respiratory conditions.
The eruption is also producing Pele’s hair, thin strands of volcanic glass that can travel more than 10 miles from the vent and cause skin and eye irritation. Drivers on Highway 11 near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park should use caution, as pumice and other fragments may fall on the roadway depending on wind conditions.
While lava flows are confined to the crater, HVO warned that hazards remain around Kilauea caldera, including unstable crater walls, ground cracking and rockfalls.
This is the 31st eruptive episode since December 2024, with most previous events lasting less than a day and separated by several days of pause. The volcano alert level remains at watch, and the aviation color code is orange.
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HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Kilauea began erupting inside its summit crater Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, less than one month after the volcano and its larger neighbor Mauna Loa stopped releasing lava.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected a glow in webcam images indicating Kilauea had begun erupting inside Halemaumau crater at the volcano’s summit caldera, the agency said.
Kilauea’s summit is inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and away from residential communities.
Earlier Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey raised the alert level for Kilauea due to signs that magma was moving below the summit surface, an indication that the volcano might erupt.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It last erupted for 16 months starting in September 2021. For about two weeks starting Nov. 27, Hawaii had two volcanoes spewing lava side by side when Mauna Loa erupted for the first time in 38 years. Both volcanoes stopped erupting at about the same time.
During the twin eruption, visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park were able to see lava from both eruptions at the same time.
“It was a beautiful eruption, and lots of people got to see it, and it didn’t take out any major infrastructure and most importantly, it didn’t affect anybody’s life,” said Ken Hon, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s scientist in charge.
The observatory planned to continue monitoring the volcanoes for signs of renewed activity. Hon previously said there is generally a three-month “cooling off” period before scientists consider an eruption to be complete.
It was unclear what connection there could be to the volcanoes stopping their eruptions around the same time. The volcanoes can be seen at the same time from multiple spots in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park near Kilauea’s caldera.
Scientists planned to look at data to study the relationship between the two volcanoes, Hon previously said.
For Native Hawaiians, volcanic eruptions have deep cultural and spiritual significance. During Mauna Loa’s eruption, many Hawaiians took part in cultural traditions, such as singing, chanting and dancing to honor Pele, the deity of volcanoes and fire, and leaving offerings known as “hookupu.”
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, began spewing ash and debris from its summit, prompting civil defense officials to warn residents on Monday to prepare in case the eruption causes lava to flow toward communities.
The eruption began late Sunday night in the summit caldera of the volcano on the Big Island following a series of closely spaced, fairly large earthquakes, Ken Hon, the scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcanos Observatory, said at an early morning news conference. Magma moved to the surface, although lava flows were contained within the summit area and weren’t threatening nearby communities.
A time-lapse video of the eruption from overnight shows molten lava lighting up the caldera, moving across it like waves on the ocean.
There have been some photos provided to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory that suggest that the south end of the caldera has overflowed, causing some lava flows a few kilometers (miles) out of the caldera, Hon said.
In some previous eruptions, lava has overflowed the caldera but never made it close to populated areas.
“Right now we are looking at indications, trying to figure out if this is going to be an eruption that remains within the summit of Mauna Loa or moves down one of the rift zones either to the southwest and to the northeast,” Hon said.
“We don’t want to try and second guess the volcano,” Hon said. “We have to let it actually show us what it’s going to do and then we inform people of what is happening ASAP.”
There is currently no indication of any migration of the eruption into a rift zone, officials said. A rift zone is where the mountain is splitting apart and the rock is cracked and relatively weak – making it easier for magma to emerge.
The ground is shaking and swelling at Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano in the world, indicating that it could erupt. Scientists say they don’t expect that to happen right away but officials on the Big Island of Hawaii are telling residents to be prepared in case it does erupt soon. This map shows the lava flow hazard level zones for the island.
“At this time, it’s not a time to be alarmed,” Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said.
There are no evacuation orders.
Even though it noted there is no indication of lava moving into a rift one, Hawaii County Civil Defense announced it has opened shelters in Kailua-Kona and Pahala because it has reports of people self-evacuating along the South Kona coast.
Scientists will have to wait to see if this remains a summit-only eruption or a rift zone eruption. The average Mauna Loa eruption is not typically prolonged, lasting a couple of weeks, Hon said.
“Typically, Mauna Loa eruptions start off with the heaviest volume first,” Hon said. “After a few days, it starts to calm down a little bit.”
The USGS warned residents at risk from Mauna Loa lava flows should review their eruption preparations. Scientists had been on alert because of a recent spike in earthquakes at the summit of the volcano, which last erupted in 1984.
Portions of the Big Island were under an ashfall advisory issued by the National Weather Service in Honolulu, which said up to a quarter-inch (0.6 centimeters) of ash could accumulate in some areas.
Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that together make up the Big Island of Hawaii, which is the southernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago.
Mauna Loa, rising 13,679 feet (4,169 meters) above sea level, is the much larger neighbor to Kilauea volcano, which erupted in a residential neighborhood and destroyed 700 homes in 2018. Some of its slopes are much steeper than Kilauea’s – so when it erupts, lava can flow much faster.
During a 1950 eruption, the mountain’s lava traveled 15 miles (24 kilometers) to the ocean in less than three hours.
Tourism is the economic engine for Hawaii, but Roth predicted few problems for those on vacation during the eruption.
“If it does go into one of the rift zones, it’s going to impact a very small area of the island,” he said. “It will be spectacular where it is, but the chances of it really interrupting the visitor industry — very, very slim.”
For some, the eruption might cut down on some travel time, even if there is more vog, or volcanic smog caused by higher sulfur dioxide emissions.
“But the good thing is you don’t have to drive from Kona over to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to see an eruption anymore,” Roth said. “You can just look out your window at night and you’ll be able to see Mauna Loa erupting.”
Associated Press writer Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report.
