According to information released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the famous Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has been erupting lava since Friday, November 21st. Images show lava flowing like a river and thick smoke rising from the ground. It is expected that the volcano will enter into a full eruption in the coming days.
Located within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii, Kilauea volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
CBS reported that for nearly a year, Kilauea volcano has been intermittently erupting, with the upcoming eruption being the 37th since last December.
USGS continues to provide updates through the Hawaii Volcano Observatory and anticipates that the 37th eruption will occur between November 22nd and November 26th, with the highest likelihood between November 23rd and 25th.
During volcanic eruptions, lava fountains typically erupt from the ground, shooting high into the sky above Hawaii in a spectacular display. Officials have stated that tourists can visit the national park to observe volcanic activity, as the lava flow is restricted to that area and does not pose a threat to residents’ homes or buildings on the island.
According to USGS information, at 9:30 a.m. local time on Friday, lava began to overflow from the southern vent of the volcano and continued intermittently throughout the entire day and night. Since then, there have been approximately 30 lava overflows, with about two-thirds coming from the southern vent and one-third from the northern vent. On Friday during the day, both vents alternated in overflow, but after nightfall and into Saturday morning, the southern vent dominated. A significant overflow event from the southern vent occurred at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, forming a dome fountain estimated to be 5-10 meters (15-30 feet) high, which lasted about 25 minutes.
The last eruption of Kilauea volcano occurred on November 9th and lasted approximately 5 hours. At that time, lava fountains from the two vents reached heights of around 1200 feet and 750 feet respectively.