The volcano Kilauea, considered the most active in Hawaii, erupted again this Tuesday, releasing rivers of lava that descended down its slopes. According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the activity resumed at noon when the magma emerged from a vent in the volcano’s caldera.
Despite the impressive lava flow, authorities reported that this phenomenon is contained within the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and does not pose a threat to nearby residential areas.
Kilauea has been intermittently erupting since December 23, spewing magma to the surface in different phases. Each episode has been a natural spectacle that attracts tourists and scientists alike.
So far, the eruption has recorded 15 different episodes. The duration of each phase varied: the shortest lasted 13 hours, while the longest extended for eight days. Between each episode, the pauses ranged from 24 hours to 12 days, demonstrating the unpredictable nature of the volcano.
Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.[/caption>
Part of an Active Volcanic Archipelago
Kilauea is one of the six active volcanoes in Hawaii, including a submarine one. Its most imposing neighbor, Mauna Loa, is the largest volcano in the world and is also located on the Big Island of Hawaii. Its last eruption occurred in 2022, after almost four decades of inactivity.
While the lava continues to illuminate the nights in the National Park, scientists and experts closely monitor Kilauea’s activity to detect any changes that may pose a threat. For now, the volcano continues to offer a natural impressive but controlled spectacle.
Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii. Photo: Google Maps.
The History of Kilauea
Kilauea has a summit with a caldera that has gone through several alternating stages of collapse and refilling. Inside it, lies the main crater called Halema’uma’u, and two rift zones, located to the east and southwest of it, known as the East Rift Zone and Soutwest Rift Zone, respectively.
The first rift zone extends about 125 km, while the second only about 35 km from the caldera. In fact, several volcanic craters and vents settle on the East Rift Zone, the most active one being called Puʻu ʻŌʻō, which was the source of the longest eruption in historical times. This is due to its distal area, representing the origin of periodic fissure eruptions. Being in an urbanized area, eruptions from this volcano cause serious damage. The last one, in 2018, destroyed a large part of Leilani Estates and almost entirely covered the Kapoho area.
According to the pattern of volcanism in Hawaii, Kilauea would have started as a young submarine volcano, then progressively growing through submarine eruptions of alkali basalt before emerging from the ocean with a series of Surtseyan eruptions about 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. Since then, the volcano’s activity likely remained at its current level, generating a continuous flow of effusive and explosive eruptions, following the same general pattern observed in its activity over the last 200 to 300 years.
Source: Euronews.
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