Hawai’i’s Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island erupted on Monday morning, prompting the U.S. Geological Survey to issue a warning as it noted lava fountains spewed up to 262 feet.
The latest: The USGS said on X that Kīlauea’s eruptions had paused later Monday, but scientists were continuing to closely monitor the volcano, one of the most active in the world, and the alert level remained at “watch” — signifying “escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption.”
State of play: Researchers were monitoring air quality after Kīlauea erupted, with the USGS noting in a statement that the “primary hazard of concern at this time is high levels of volcanic gas which can have far-reaching effects down-wind (generally southwest) of the summit.”
- The eruption began about 2:20 a.m. and vents continued to erupt on the floor of the southwest part of the summit caldera later Monday, per the USGS. The activity was confined to this area.
- “The plume of volcanic gas and fine volcanic particles is reaching elevations of 6,000-8,000 feet above sea level … and winds are transporting it to the southwest, within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park,” the USGS said in an earlier statement.
- “Molten material, including lava bombs, is being ejected from the vents on the caldera floor up onto the west caldera rim, within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The volcanic gas and ejecta hazards west of the erupting vents stress the hazardous nature of this closed area of Kīlauea’s summit.”
The big picture: Kīlauea has been erupting regularly since 1983, with the last eruption before this one occurring in September.
- A major eruption in 2018 razed over 700 homes and displaced thousands of people in the Puna District on the Big Island.
By Rebecca Falconer – axios