Kilauea, renowned as one of the most active volcanoes globally, came to life once more on Wednesday following a three-month hiatus. The volcano exhibited a breathtaking display of striking, luminous lava completely safe from human intervention and protected by a national park in Hawaii. Kilauea’s summit caldera, specifically within the Halemaumau crater, started spewing molten lava as recorded by the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory from webcam images. The observatory had already noted increased earthquake activity, and changes in ground deformation patterns that began on the preceding Tuesday evening, indicating magma movement in the subsurface. Luckily, there is no sign of activity threatening any communities at the moment, as confirmed by Mike Zoeller, a geologist at the observatory.
Even as park officials brace themselves for an overwhelming turnout of visitors, Jessica Ferracane, park spokesperson, assures safety for all who make the trip to view the stunning eruption. Ferracane advises visitors to take precautionary measures and stay within the marked trails to avoid gases emanating from the eruption. Additionally, parking lots are already filling up, and long queues are anticipated at entry points, but visitors can bypass the crowds by visiting between 9 pm and sunrise. At the moment, the lava is confined to the summit caldera, with sufficient room to grow without posing any threat to homes or infrastructure.
Residents in towns such as Pahala, approximately 20 miles away from Kilauea’s summit, felt two small earthquakes and reported a light covering of fine ash and glass particles called “Pele’s hair.” As we recall, Kilauea erupted from September 2021 until December of the same year, and for two weeks in December, Hawaii’s biggest volcano, Mauna Loa, also erupted on the Big Island. Kilauea had another eruption in January, lasting 61 days and ending in March.
In comparison to previous eruptions, Zoeller notes that the current one follows a similar playbook since 2020. However, the 2018 Kilauea eruption resulted in the destruction of 700 homes, with the lava reaching the ocean, causing interactions with the water that were quite dramatic.
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