Area of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts for 1st time since 1974
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted to life early Monday morning with lava oozing out of the ground and causing the sky to glow eerily orange.
The eruption began around 12:30 a.m. HST on Monday, June 3, in a region that hasn't erupted since December 1974. The eruption nearly 50 years ago was short-lived, lasting only around six hours.
The eruption was accompanied by a swarm of earthquakes with at least 92 tremors of at least magnitude 2.5 around the Big Island of Hawaii from Sunday morning through Monday morning, according to the USGS.
By late Monday, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) said the eruption had paused, but it "could change quickly" at any point. "Fissure eruptions are often short-lived but can be difficult to forecast. They can display pauses of hours to days." The eruption took place in a remote area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and did not immediately threaten human life or critical infrastructure.
Kilauea began erupting about 12:30 AM HST south of the caldera and north of the Koa'e fault system and Hilina Pali Road, within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
View from Keck Observatories on Mauna Kea.
More info: https://t.co/N6WsRzPFij pic.twitter.com/VYg4ulABaX— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) June 3, 2024
A camera at the Keck Observatories perched atop Mauna Kea on the Big Island captured an image of the eruption early Monday morning with the glow of the lava appearing like a sunrise on the horizon.
"Residents and visitors should stay informed and follow County of Hawai‘i and HawaiÊ»i Volcanoes National Park guidelines," the HVO said.
