Kilauea, the world's most active volcano mass located on the island of Hawaii in the U.S., has erupted again. This is not the first time the volcano has shown activity this year, though the United States Geological Service (USGS) has lowered the alert level for the current eruption from RED to ORANGE.
The volcano erupted in June this year, and again in September. It has been erupting actively over the years, and in 2018 the overflow of lava destroyed more than 700 homes.
According to Britannica, Kilauea has lava eruptions coming from its central crater. It has an elongated dome-like build and covers an area of about four square miles.
While the volcano's recent eruptions have usually been non-explosive, this was not the case back in the 18th century. More recently, in 1970, an explosion killed a group of Hawaiian armymen marching near the volcano.
USGS warns people about Kilauea Volcano eruption
Kilauea's current eruption is happening in the caldera. The seismic activity began on the morning of Monday, December 23, 2024 and the lava reached its highest point, at 270 feet.
USGS has shared webcam footage of the eruption on social media. The organization reported that the eruption began at around 2:20 am on Monday and they raised the "alert level at the volcano to RED" to indicate that an eruption is going to occur soon.
The footage shows the "opening moments" as the lava reaches the surface.
Via the post's caption, the organization further informed,
"Initially, fountains of lava reached heights of over 295 ft (90 m). Airborne molten rock was ejected from vents on the caldera floor and tossed as high as the west caldera rim, within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park."
"Lava from the vents spread out over the caldera floor to cover more than 500 acres within hours of the eruption."
As the eruption was stabilized the warning was lowered to ORANGE to indicate that the volcanic activities could change.
"The eruption is generating a vigorous plume of volcanic gas, which is reaching elevations estimated at 6,000-8,000 feet above sea level and being transported downwind to the southwest," the report further read.
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Volcanic gas consists of water vapor, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide. This is hazardous, and sulfur dioxide can also create vog, or the visible haze known as Volcanic Smog.
According to CBS, the lava in Hawaii flows slowly down the slope giving scope for people to avoid it. However, it can destroy vegetation and infrastructure.
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