Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts again

Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, began erupting again in Hawaii on Thursday, nearly one month after federal officials said activity there had ceased.

The U.S. Geological Survey said webcam images showed lava flow within the Halemaʻumaʻu crater in the volcano’s summit caldera.

The agency upgraded the volcano’s alert level from watch to warning and said it was evaluating possible hazards. So far the eruption was contained to the crater, the agency said.

This webcam image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, from the west rim of the summit caldera, looking east, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Hawaii's Kilauea began erupting inside its summit crater Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, less than one month after the volcano and its larger neighbor Mauna Loa stopped releasing lava. ( U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
This webcam image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, from the west rim of the summit caldera, looking east, on Thursday.U.S. Geological Survey via AP

The volcano, in Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii’s Big Island, has been erupting often since 1983.

In 2018, an eruption from fissures in the volcano’s lower East Rift Zone covered 13 square miles with lava, destroying 700 homes and other buildings.

Most recently, Kilauea erupted between September 2021 and last month.

In November, another eruption on Hawaii’s Big Island — from Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano — came after a series of large earthquakes. It was its first eruption in 38 years.

A month later, the USGS’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Mauna Loa’s eruptions had ceased.

source: nbcnews.com