HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK – The USGS is monitoring Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano after one of the most active volcanoes in the world began to erupt for the third time this year on Sunday.
According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), Kilauea’s eruption began around 3:15 p.m. HST Sunday after increased earthquake activity and changes in ground deformation patterns at Kilauea’s summit began to occur earlier in the day.
Webcam video and field reports indicated the eruption began within Halema’uma’u crater and on the down-dropped block to the east in Kilauea’s summit caldera, within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, according to the HVO.
The volcano’s alert level was then raised from Watch to Warning, and the aviation color code was changed from Orange to Red.
Videos show fissures at the base of the Halema’uma’u crater, which was generating lava flows on the surface of the crater floor. The HVO said the volcanic activity has been confined to Halema’auma’u, but the conditions will be continuously reassessed as the eruption continues.
The HVO said the eruption was occurring within a closed area of the national park, and high levels of volcanic gas would be the primary hazards, as they could have far-reaching effects downwind of the eruption.
In addition, geologists said Pele’s hair and other lightweight volcanic glass fragments from the lava fountains are expected to fall downwind of the fissure vents and dust the ground within a few hundred yards of the vents, according to the HVO.
Kilauea last erupted in June, and its first eruption of 2023 began in January.
That eruption lasted until the beginning of March. However, that eruption was considered brief compared to previous eruptions, which lasted about three months.
The HVO has several cameras livestreaming activity from different areas of Kilauea, which operate 24 hours a day.
The most active camera above on the USGS YouTube page shows the ongoing eruption at Halemaʻumaʻu crater.