The Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii erupted overnight, sending lava into the air along a line of fissures in the volcano’s southwest rift zone. The eruption began at around 12:30 am local time after hundreds of earthquakes originating from the volcano prompted USGS and the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) to raise the volcano alert there.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) raised the alert to its highest level once lava erupted into the air; the Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards went from WATCH to WARNING and the Aviation Color Code went from ORANGE to RED.
In the U.S., the USGS and volcano observatory units are responsible for issuing Aviation Codes and Volcanic Activity Alert Levels. Aviation Codes are green, yellow, orange, or red. When ground-based instrumentation is insufficient to establish that a volcano is at a typical background level of activity, it is simply “unassigned.” While green means typical activity associated with a non-eruptive state, yellow means a volcano is exhibiting signs of elevated unrest above known background levels. When a volcano exhibits heightened or escalating unrest with the increased potential of eruption, it jumps to orange. Finally, when an eruption is imminent with significant emission of volcanic ash expected in the atmosphere or an eruption is underway with significant emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, the code becomes red. Volcanic Activity Alert levels are normal, advisory, watch, or warning. As with aviation codes, if data is insufficient, it is simply labeled as “unassigned.” When the volcano is at typical background activity in a non-eruptive state, it is considered normal. If the volcano exhibits signs of elevated unrest above background level, an advisory is issued. If a volcano exhibits heightened or escalating unrest, a watch is issued while a warning is issued when a hazardous eruption is imminent.
Currently the line of fissures erupting is contained wholly inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and is of no threat to any populated areas of Hawaii’s Big Island. The eruption today is occurring about a mile south of Kilauea caldera and north of the Koa’e fault system and Hilina Pali Road.
The most recent eruption in this region was during December 1974, which lasted only about 6 hours. “At this time, it is not possible to say how long the eruption will last,” USGS said in an early morning update today.
The eruption today is occurring about a mile south of Kilauea caldera and north of the Koa’e fault system and Hilina Pali Road.
Hawaii County Civil Defense issued an alert this morning, warning that some areas may experience elevated gases. “Take precautions if you are sensitive to volcanic gases,” Hawaii County Civil Defense urged to residents island-wide in a TXT issued this morning.
