The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, situated on its Big Island, has erupted Sunday, December 20, and warns of a possible "significant emission" of volcanic materials into the atmosphere.
Warnings to the Big Island and Surrounding Areas
"An eruption has commenced within Kilauea's summit caldera," the USGS announced a little past 9:30 PM local time (07:30 GMT). The government agency issued a RED/ WARNING alert via Twitter, which means "Major volcanic eruption is imminent, underway, or suspected with hazardous activity both on the ground and in the air," advising aircraft to avoid Kilauea's surrounding airspace.
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The agency soon announced: "The situation is rapidly evolving, and HVO (Hawaiian Volcano Observatory) will issue another statement when more information is available.
Images of red glowing smoke rising to the night sky and volcanic material flowing have been shared by the USGS Volcanoes and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Hawaii Volcanoes NPS reports that a water lake formed in Halema'uma'u disappeared due to the lava flow inside the Kilauea crater.
The US National Weather Service in Honolulu also reported prevailing winds in the area could also carry and steer ashfall toward communities located on the southwestern section of Big Island, especially reminding people with respiratory problems to take "extra precaution." It later added the "easing" of the eruption and a lingering "low-level steam cloud" in the area.
Video from W rim of the caldera just before midnight. As of December 21 at 1:30 a.m. HST, the growing lava lake has almost reached the level of the lowest down-dropped block that formed during the 2018 collapse events. Over the past 2 hours, the lake has risen by ~10 m (32 ft). pic.twitter.com/Qbx1d6hbq4
— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) December 21, 2020
One of the Most Active Volcanoes
Kilauea is a popular tourist attraction on the island of Hawaii and is recognized as one of the world's most active volcanoes. It has been regularly erupting since the 1950s, with the most recent being in 2018, when it destroyed more than 700 homes and released lava over four months with a volume that can fill more than 320,000 Olympic-sized pools. It was caused by a lava outbreak located in lower Puna, a lake also located at Halema'uma'u. It created an ash plume spewed 30,000 feet into the air, accompanied by earthquakes in the surrounding area.
The Hawaiian volcano is classified as a shield volcano - named for its low profile that resembles a round shield. Together with four other volcanoes - the extinct Kohala, dormant Mauna Kea, and Hualali, and its fellow active volcano Mauna Loa - Kilauea completes Hawai'i, commonly known as its Big Island. The five shield volcanoes, with their previous eruptions, released materials that overlapped and formed the island. On account of them being active volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kilauea are credited with the growth of the island. From January 1983 to September 2002, the two volcanoes' lava flows have added about 543 acres of land to the Big Island.
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Because of its low profile and topographic prominence, Kilauea was previously thought to be a satellite of its older and larger neighbor, Mauna Loa. The overlapping of their historical explosions also lent additional credence to this preconception. The USGS noted that studies on the southeastern volcano proved it to be a separate volcano, with its own magma system underneath.
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