The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island began erupting on Sunday afternoon, with lava flows now limited to the floor surrounding the crater, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said on Sunday.
Webcam images show s at the base of the volcano’s crater, which are generating lava flows on the surface of the crater floor. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency wrote on X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the eruption “does not pose a lava threat to the community,” although volcanic particles and gases may cause respiratory problems in sensitive people.
According to the USGS, the eruption was preceded by a period of strong seismic activity and “rapid uplift” of the summit. The agency raised Kilauea’s aviation color code from orange to red, essing the eruption and the volcano’s warning alert. Kilauea, located within a restricted area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
In 2019, a series of earthquakes and a major eruption at Kilauea led to the destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses. The volcano erupted in January and June of this year. (PAP) wr/