The Kilauea volcano in the American archipelago of Hawaii, one of the most active in the world, erupted on Wednesday, the American Geological Survey USGS said.
Images show that cracks have formed in the heart of the volcano, which regularly awakens, and clumps of molten lava spurt from the lake at the bottom of the crater. Volcanologists called this eruption “dynamic”.
USGS scientists said they began spotting activity inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and outside homes early Wednesday morning.
“Elevated levels of volcanic gases are of greatest concern because this hazard can have long-range impacts due to winds,” the USGS noted.
The sulfur dioxide released by the volcano “will react in the atmosphere and create a visible haze called vog (volcanic smog)” that will spread beyond Kilauea.
This “Vog” could cause respiratory problems in humans and animals and also affect harvests, the US authority warned.
She also warned of “Pele’s hair,” very fine filaments of black hardened lava that can irritate skin and cause eye problems, named after the Hawaiian goddess of fire.
This eruption comes several months after the eruption of Mauna Loa, the world’s largest volcano, which awoke in late 2022 after more than forty years of sleep.
Lava fountains up to sixty meters high poured streams of molten rock down the sides of the volcano.
Kilauea, a so-called “shield” volcano because it’s flat, is smaller but much more active than Mauna Loa. Erupting almost continuously between 1983 and 2019, it is one of six active volcanoes in the Hawaiian archipelago.