Eruption at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano sends lava shooting 1,000 feet in air
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is erupting again in spectacular fashion, sending lava shooting 1,000 feet into the sky, according to the United States Geological Survey.
On Friday morning, "Episode 26" of the ongoing eruption at Halemaʻumaʻu -- the pit crater within Kīlauea Caldera at the summit of the volcano -- spewed lava fountains that reached massive heights, according to the USGS's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Episode 26 was preceded by small, sporadic spattering and lava overflows, according to the USGS.
Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world and located on the Big Island, has been especially active in the last several months, erupting dozens of times since December.
In May, Kilauea also spewed leva more than 1,000 feet. On June 11, eruptions at Kilauea measured at more than 330 feet, according to the USGS.
The current eruption began at 1:40 a.m. local time, with lava fountains and flows erupting from the north vent, according to the USGS.
The eruption is flowing into a remote area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Flows have been confined to the Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera.
The USGS issued a volcano watch – known as a code orange – which means that an eruption is either likely or occurring but with no, or minor, ash.
Volcanic gas emissions and tephra -- fragments of rock, minerals and glass -- from the lava fountain may be distributed south of the caldera, due to the winds blowing from the north, the USGS said.
Other hazards include Pele's hair -- strands of volcanic glass often produced by lava fountaining activity -- crater wall instability, ground cracking and rockfalls.
Kīlauea's caldera rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater has been closed to the public since 2007 due to such hazards.
