After a months-long pause, a new eruption at Kīlauea’s summit began at approximately 3:20 p.m. HST on September 29, 2021. Lava activity is currently confined within the Halema’uma’u crater, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“What was once a cooling lava lake is now a new fissure eruption,” USGS Volcanoes said in a tweet, noting the eruption was in “full swing.”
While local media reported Wednesday night there was no immediate threat to residents from the activity at Hawaii’s Kilauea, Reuters is reporting the agency’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory raised its alert level from “WATCH” to “WARNING” and its aviation color code from “ORANGE” to “RED” as the new eruption and associated hazards are evaluated.
The latest alert level and color code imply that a hazardous eruption is “imminent, underway or suspected”, according to the USGS website. But the warning has not discouraged the spectators hoping to see the volcano in action.
Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said the park service was already seeing a rush of spectators on Wednesday evening — and was bracing for big crowds Thursday.
The eruption was not in an area with homes and was fully contained within the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii News Now reported, citing officials.
Officials are also warning that lava fountains have been spewing as high as 100 feet, while rocks and small fiberglass strands known as Pele’s hair, which can become lodged in skin and eyes, are being blasted from the crater. “Vog,” air pollution containing volcanic gases and particles, could also become a concern.
The last eruption at Kilauea ended in May after an explosive start five months earlier. During that eruption, about 11 billion gallons of lava erupted into the crater.
One visitor’s assessment of what they witnessed yesterday: “It’s pretty unreal.”
