Hawaii's Kilauea volcano puts on dazzling show with lava fountains hundreds of feet high
Lava from Hawaii’s most active volcano created fountains that reached 700 feet (215 meters) Thursday during the latest episode of an ongoing eruption.
HONOLULU — Lava from Hawaii’s most active volcano created fountains that reached 700 feet Thursday during the latest episode of an ongoing eruption.
Kilauea began continuously releasing lava from its summit caldera inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Wednesday morning after a weeklong pause, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The molten rock was contained within the park and wasn’t threatening residential areas.
The 14th episode ended Thursday afternoon after 28 hours. During the last seven hours, lava fountains were up to 600 feet high, according to the USGS’ Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
In the early afternoon, a webcam’s livestream showed vigorous, bright-red fountains but later only showed billowing smoke.
The volcano began its current eruption on Dec. 23. It has stopped and resumed more than a dozen times since. The shortest episode lasted 13 hours, while the longest lasted eight days.
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