Kilauea, Hawaii’s most active volcano, erupted early Monday morning. Kilauea, in the southeastern part of the Big Island, erupted three times last year.
As the eruption occurred near the summit, there appears to be no immediate danger to residents.
The eruption began at 12:30 a.m. local time. Magma was rising from beneath the surface and “pooling” through fissures, the United States Geological Survey said.
Rather than the hundreds of feet that might be expected in a typical major volcanic eruption, USGS geophysicist Michael Poland said Kilauea’s lava rose only “several dozen feet” on Monday. .
In 2023, Kilauea erupted in January, June and September. A major eruption in 2018 destroyed 700 homes.
“From 1983 to 2018, all activity came from two sources,” Poland said. “Since 2018, we have come out of a period of regular eruptions. It now has discrete, usually short-lived, eruptions occurring in several different locations. Today we are seeing eruptions in places we haven’t seen in 50 years.
Recent eruptions have typically lasted six to eight hours.
“Unlike 2018, when lava was coming out of people’s backyards, these are in the national park,” Poland said, referring to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The volcano’s alert level was raised Monday to a warning issued by a watch, the normal movement when an eruption begins.
Scientists were monitoring an eruption after about 250 earthquakes were recorded beneath Kilauea’s summit over an eight-hour period before the eruption.
Earthquakes are sometimes a precursor to an eruption. The most powerful earthquake was a magnitude 4.1 at 9:12 p.m., about three hours before the eruption.
The USGS said that during Kilauea’s eruptions, volcanic gases, including sulfur dioxide, are released. This gas reacts in the atmosphere to create volcanic smog, or vog.
“Vog creates a potential health hazard for residents and visitors, damages agricultural crops and other plants, and affects livestock,” the agency said.
“It’s rather irritating,” said Mr. Poland. “If people have sensitive breathing or breathing problems, they may have more difficulty breathing. »
Mr. Poland said that after the first eruptions, activity began to kick in at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. “We don’t expect this eruption to be a very long-term eruption,” he said.