Kilauea volcano eruption resumes
Kilauea volcano is erupting again.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported that at 4:34 p.m. Thursday, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists observed a glow in Kilauea volcano’s summit webcam images indicating that the eruption has resumed within Halema‘uma‘u crater.
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The webcam imagery showed fissures at the base of Halema‘uma‘u crater generating lava flows on the surface of the crater floor. The activity is confined to Halema‘uma‘u within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
With the apparent resumption of the eruption, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory elevated Kilauea’s volcano alert level from “watch” to “warning” and its aviation color code from “orange” to “red” as the eruption and associated hazards are evaluated.
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 in mid-December, though scientists said they would wait several months before officially declaring the eruptions over.
