Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano started erupting at roughly 3:15pm local time Sunday, spewing lava some 60-80 feet into the air.
At present, the eruption is limited to the Halemaʻumaʻu crater and “the downdropped block to the east of the crater, within Kīlauea’s summit caldera,” according to the United States Geological Survey. Footage of the eruption was shared online, and really doesn’t do justice to quite how magnificent this eruption really is.
Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, one of the most active volcanoes on Earth has just begun erupting again.
Fascinating 1 minute timelapse of the eruption. pic.twitter.com/2iGcID81Zx
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) September 11, 2023
A red alert was issued for aviation activities within the area, USGS noted. Kīlauea is located on Hawaii’s Big Island, and is not considered a public safety threat at this time.
🌋The Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, started erupting on Sunday for the third time this year. Officials say there is no threat to the public at this time. pic.twitter.com/erKbnp3Dj0
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) September 11, 2023
This is the third time in 2023 Kīlauea started erupting, and there’s no telling how long this eruption will last. The eruptions lit up the mountainside overnight, looking absolutely gorgeous (but obviously incredibly dangerous).
The Kilauea volcano erupts in #Hawaii
This is its third eruption since the beginning of the year. A red alert level for aviation has been declared in the region. pic.twitter.com/Edh4NE5V7R
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 11, 2023
One clip captured and shared online showed a bubble of lava burst from the ground and rush down the hillside, as if appearing from nowhere.
This clip captured on Kilauea volcano shows lava breaking out from a lava tube, a natural conduit passing beneath the hardened surface
Video from Epic Lavapic.twitter.com/T99DF7vmWR
— Wonderful Moment (@Xudong1966) September 6, 2023
Stunning images were shared by USGS’s webcam overlooking the crater, as well as other sites across Hawaii that tend to remain volcanically active. A livestream was also set up on YouTube, allowing everyone to watch the eruptions happening in real time. (RELATED: National Hurricane Center Identifies Four Areas Of Activity In Atlantic. Could Fall Be Defined By Major Hurricanes?)
As of mid-August 2023, there were 49 continuously erupting volcanoes globally, most of which are located in the Pacific “ring of fire” that makes up the edges of the Pacific Ocean, according to the Smithsonian Institute’s Global Volcanism Program.