Hawaii's Kilauea erupting again, U.S. Geological Survey says
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.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected a glow in webcam images indicating Kilauea had begun erupting inside Halemaumau crater at the volcano's summit caldera, the agency said.
Cameras at the Kilauea summit show some lava fountaining on the crater floor, but the molten rock remains confined to the crater as of shortly before 5 pm HST. HI-EMA is in communication with @USGSVolcanoes and will provide updates if there is any change that presents a threat. pic.twitter.com/G3eQRFo6bq
— Hawaii EMA (@Hawaii_EMA) January 6, 2023
Kilauea's summit is inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and away from residential communities. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said Thursday, "lava is confined to the crater. No communities are threatened."
Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. It last erupted for 16 months starting in September 2021. For about two weeks starting Nov. 27, Hawaii had two volcanoes spewing lava side by side when Mauna Loa erupted for the first time in 38 years. Both volcanoes stopped erupting at about the same time.
Earlier Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey raised the alert level for Kilauea due to signs that magma was moving below the summit surface, an indication that the volcano might erupt.