Hawaii's most active volcano, Kilauea, began erupting early Monday morning. The volcano, located in the southeast of the island of Hawaii, has erupted three times in the last year.
Because the eruption occurred near the summit, there is no immediate danger to residents.
The eruption began at 12:30 a.m. local time, with the US Geological Survey saying magma was rising from below the surface and “erupting” through fissures.
Instead of the hundreds of feet expected in a typical major volcanic eruption, Michael Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said Kilauea's lava had only risen “a few dozen feet” on Monday.
In 2023, Kilauea erupted in January, June, and September. A major eruption in 2018 destroyed 700 homes.
“From 1983 to 2018, all activity occurred from two craters,” Poland said. “Since 2018, the period of stable eruptions has passed. We now have intermittent eruptions, usually of short duration, in several different locations. And we are seeing eruptions in places we haven't seen for 50 years.”
Recent eruptions usually last six to eight hours.
“Unlike 2018, when lava erupted in people's backyards, this time it's happening inside a national park,” Poland said, referring to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The volcano's alert level was raised to a watch alert on Monday, a routine step when an eruption begins.
Scientists had been monitoring the eruption after about 250 earthquakes were recorded just beneath Kilauea's summit in the eight hours leading up to the eruption.
Earthquakes can be precursors to an eruption. The strongest was a magnitude 4.1 earthquake that occurred at 9:12 pm, about three hours before the eruption.
The USGS said that when Kilauea erupts, it releases volcanic gases, including sulfur dioxide, that react in the atmosphere to create volcanic smog, also known as vog.
“Vog can pose an airborne health hazard to residents and visitors, damage crops and other vegetation, and affect livestock,” the department said.
“It's more of an irritant,” Poland said. “People with respiratory sensitivities or problems may have difficulty breathing.”
Poland said activity had begun to subside after the initial eruption as of 11 a.m. EDT. “We don't expect this eruption to be severe or prolonged,” he said.