Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts with lava jets reaching 980 feet high
The volcano — one of the world’s most active — has had around 20 similar eruptions since it resumed activity on December 23.
Jets of lava reaching up to 980 feet (300 meters) and streams of flowing magma produced spectacular images of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting since late December. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released the footage Sunday night.
The volcano, one of the most active in the world, has gone through about 20 such episodes since it began erupting again on December 23.
The USGS Hawaii Volcano Observatory reported that the current episode—the 23rd since the volcano reactivated five months ago—began at 4:15 p.m. Sunday (2:15 a.m. GMT Monday) at the north vent of Halemaʻumaʻu, a crater within Kilauea.
The institute streams live video from three cameras around the volcano on YouTube.
"Most episodes of lava jets since Dec. 23 have lasted a day or less, with breaks between episodes of at least several days," the USGS said.
It warned that these eruptions are accompanied by elevated levels of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, which can be hazardous to health.
Kilauea has been erupting nearly continuously since 1983. It is one of Hawaii’s six active volcanoes, which also include Mauna Loa—the largest volcano in the world.
Although smaller than Mauna Loa, it is more active and draws many tourists with its spectacular lava eruptions.
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