Kilauea volcano erupts on Hawaii’s Big Island; residents urged to stay indoors
The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island erupted Sunday night following a series of earthquakes, authorities said.
The U.S. Geological Survey and the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park urged residents to stay indoors, saying the situation was “rapidly evolving.” Officials also raised Kilauea’s volcano alert to “Warning” level and its aviation color code to red.
Stunning images posted by the two agencies on social media showed a massive steam and gas plume above the crater.
“Lava contained within the crater illuminates the steam produced by the lava interacting with, and boiling off, the summit water lake that resided in the base of Halemaʻumaʻu crater,” the Geological Survey said in a tweet featuring a photo of the gas cloud.
Happening now: a new eruption of Kīlauea inside Halemaʻumaʻu
See live webcams inside Halemaʻumaʻu, courtesy of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: https://t.co/Yf1Kc3AeJ9 pic.twitter.com/bsNmt3ZTUg— Hawaii Volcanoes NPS (@Volcanoes_NPS) December 21, 2020
Kilauea is one most active volcanoes in the world. The last major eruption was in 2018, when rivers of molten rock obliterated more than 700 homes and forced thousands of residents to evacuate.
It was still unclear Monday if the latest eruption would force a massive evacuation, but authorities urged “all communities” on or near Kilauea’s summit and rift zones to “be prepared.”
The National Weather Service in Honolulu also warned residents over the Kau district and nearby areas about fallen ash from the volcano.
RELATED: 8 facts about Hawaii's Kilauea volcano
Video from W rim of the caldera just before midnight. As of December 21 at 1:30 a.m. HST, the growing lava lake has almost reached the level of the lowest down-dropped block that formed during the 2018 collapse events. Over the past 2 hours, the lake has risen by ~10 m (32 ft). pic.twitter.com/Qbx1d6hbq4
— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) December 21, 2020
“Avoid excessive exposure to ash which is an eye and respiratory irritant,” the agency said in an advisory. “Those with respiratory sensitivities should take extra precaution to minimize exposure.”
Kilauea has been actively erupting along its East Rift Zone for more than three decades. The volcano has several craters and is at a relatively low elevation.
Sunday’s eruption was detected after a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck the beneath the Kilaeua’s south flank.
Officials had observed a significant increase in the rate of earthquakes in the area since at least September. Another “notable increase” was detected last week and was attributed to “magmatic activity,” according to USGS.
The National Park Service is live-streaming the volcano on its website.
