The Kilauea volcano, on the Big Island of Hawaii, erupted on Monday and lava continues to flow this Wednesday, as shown in several images of the event, transmitted online by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the eruption began shortly after 2 a.m. local time on Monday (12 p.m. mainland Portugal).
“At 4:30 am (local time) lava fountains with heights of up to 80 meters were observed,” the agency said.
“It’s a very exciting time… This is a really big, voluminous eruption,” said Ken Hon, chief scientist at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, as quoted by CNN.
Authorities assured the public that nearby communities are not in danger from the eruption as it is contained within the national park, but that “emission rates of volcanic gases are very high” and spread downwind of the crater, affecting thus the air quality.
According to international press, the eruption occurred in an area that had been closed to the public since 2007 due to various dangers, including the instability of the crater wall and rockfalls.
Since 2020, this volcano has erupted six times.
Source: expresso.pt
