Kilauea Resumes Eruption as Lava Flows Again to Summit Crater of Hawaii Volcano

After a few days of inactivity, experts claim that Kilauea is erupting once more, and lava was recently seen flowing in the volcano's summit crater in Hawaii.

Early indications that Hawaii's Kilauea volcano was resuming an eruption that first began in September 2021 included an increase in earthquakes and changes in the ground formations surrounding the volcano in recent days.

In Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported on Thursday that lava could be seen via webcam flowing into a crater on Kilauea's summit. This prompted experts to raise the aviation alert level and issue a warning about the possibility of ash.

The Big Island's residences and businesses are not currently in danger, according to officials, who also noted that assessments are being made in the park to ascertain any potential negative effects, FOX Weather reports.

Lava Flow and Vog

The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was isolated by smog produced by the summit glow, according to the volcanic activity notice from US Geological Service.

According to the notice, the volcano alert level was increased to "Red" after an assessment of the eruption and related dangers.

A volcanic haze known as "vog," which has been seen in areas downwind of Kilauea, could be produced by the gas, according to the USGS, which is composed of sulfur dioxide and other gases.

According to Reuters, vog has the potential to produce airborne health risks for locals and visitors, including breathing problems and damage to crops.

Read also: Mysterious Wingless Cricket Lives in Lava in Hawaii's Active Volcanoes

HVO Updates

HVO does not observe any signs of activity spreading to other areas of the Kilauea volcano and anticipates that the eruption will remain contained to the summit area.

Since no infrastructure is in danger and the initial high effusion rates are decreasing, HVO is lowering Kilauea's volcano alert level from WARNING to WATCH. Because there is currently no danger of significant volcanic ash emissions into the atmosphere beyond the hazardous closed area within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, HVO is changing the aviation color code for Kilauea from RED to ORANGE.

On January 5, 2023, at around 4:34 PM HST, the Kilauea volcano erupted inside Halema'uma'u crater after a few weeks of sporadic elevated summit quakes and progressive inflationary summit ground tilt. After the eruption started, Kilauea's alert level and aviation color code were raised to WARNING/RED. The earthquake activity dramatically increased at around 3 PM on January 5, along with increasing levels of inflationary ground deformation.

On the central-eastern side of the Halema'uma'u crater floor, several very small fountains were still flowing as of 7:30 PM HST this morning, January 6. Overnight, the fountains lost some of their energy, and this morning, they are consistently approximately 5 meters high. Nearly 300 acres of the crater floor have been submerged by lava flows. The depth of fresh lava is still around 10 meters this morning at the base of the Halema'uma'u crater.

After the eruption began, summit earthquake activity significantly decreased, and eruptive tremors-a sign of fluid movement-restarted. Volcanic gas emissions are elevated near the eruption, the USGS reports.

Related article: Magnitude 4.0 Earthquake Detected Between Mauna Loa and Kilauea in Hawaii