The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory confirmed on Wednesday that an eruption has commenced within Halema’uma’u crater in Kīlauea volcano’s summit, within Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.
The eruption is entirely contained within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
At approximately 3:20 p.m. HST on September 29, 2021, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) detected a glow in Kīlauea summit webcam images indicating that an eruption has commenced within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Kīlauea’s summit caldera, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Webcam imagery shows fissures at the base of Halemaʻumaʻu crater generating lava flows on the surface of the lava lake that was active until May 2021.
Kīlauea’s volcano alert level has been elevated to WARNING and the aviation color code raised to RED as this new eruption and associated hazards are evaluated, the USGS said in a statement.
The activity is confined to Halema’uma’u and the hazards will be reassessed as the eruption progresses, according to USGS.
The eruption is currently contained to Halemaʻumaʻu, and there is no current threat to the public.
Kilauea had a major eruption in 2018 that destroyed scores of homes and displaced thousands of residents. Before that eruption, the volcano had been slowly erupting for decades, but not in residential areas. The same area of the volcano that began erupting Wednesday also erupted in December and lasted until May.
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