One of the world’s most active volcanoes is Kilauea. Thursday marked the beginning of this most recent eruption, less than a month after Kilauea and its larger neighbor Mauna Loa went dormant.
As the Hawaii volcano began erupting again after a few weeks’ hiatus, lava from Kilauea shot high into the air and covered about 300 acres (120 hectares) of the summit crater floor. It was a spectacular sight.
In her 25 years of watching the volcano, Jillian Marohnic described the pool of lava that formed inside Halemaumau Crater as “the most beautiful.”
The lake was extremely high. And so stuffed. Marohnic, who runs the vacation rental company Volcano Hideaways with her husband in the nearby village of Volcano, said, “It’s sparkling.”
She stated, “The lake’s surface looks like stained glass.”
One of the world’s most active volcanoes is Kilauea. Thursday marked the beginning of this most recent eruption, less than a month after Kilauea and its larger neighbor Mauna Loa went dormant. The last time Kilauea erupted was from September 2021 to mid-December. Beginning in the latter part of November, Mauna Loa erupted for approximately two weeks, bringing it back to life for the first time in 38 years.
According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the most recent eruption of Kilauea is likely to continue within the summit crater, which is located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and away from residential areas.
The observatory raised Kilauea’s alert level on Thursday, but the following morning lowered it from a warning to watch to a warning to watch “because the initial high effusion rates are declining, and no infrastructure is threatened.”
Mayor Mitch Roth of the Big Island finds that reassuring. He stated on Friday, “We’re feeling pretty good about where it is at right now.”
The eruption’s beauty is a major draw for tourists.
According to John Tarson, the proprietor of EpicLava, a tour company, he has been chatting with tourists who want to see the volcano “nonstop.”
A lot of people were on the island and went to do whatever else they were doing in Hawaii before learning about this. He continued, “And now they are rerouting all of their plans and returning so that they can see this.”
The majority of the so-called “lava fountains” were smaller, at 32 feet (10 meters), though on Thursday night, lava from Kilauea shot as high as 164 feet (50 meters) into the air, roughly as high as the width of a football field.
The observatory reported that all of the newly added lava caused the surface of the crater to rise 32 feet (10 meters) by 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The observatory reported that the lava fountains had diminished in intensity by morning but remained consistently 16 feet (5 meters) tall.
Matt Patrick, a geologist at the observatory, stated that this is typical behavior at the beginning of Kilauea eruptions. He stated, “This is a cycle of collapse and replenishment that Kilauea has repeated numerous times at its summit.”
He stated that the best time to observe lava on the surface is in the early days.
A spokesperson for the national park, Jody Anastasio, stated that while it might be difficult to see the lava during the day, it will glow at night and all of the park’s viewing areas will offer good vantage points.
Volcanic eruptions hold significant cultural and spiritual significance for Native Hawaiians. During the eruption of Mauna Loa, many Hawaiians participated in cultural practices like leaving offerings known as “hookupu” and singing, chanting, and dancing to honor Pele, the god of volcanoes and fire.
Kealoha Pisciotta, a cultural practitioner who lives on the Kilauea slopes, urged Hawaiians all over the world to honor akua, or gods and goddesses like Pele, the god of fire and volcanoes.
She stated on Friday, “Wherever you are, take time today to reflect upon them and thank them for bringing new life and new land.”
