Eruption goes on, lava lake growing / VolcanoDiscovery

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Kilauea volcano

Shield volcano 1277 m (4,190 ft)
Hawai’i, 19.41°N / -155.29°W
Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)

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Kilauea volcano eruptions:
Near-continuous eruptions. Since 1960: 1961 (4x), 1962, 1963 (2x), 1965 (2x), 1967-68, 1968 (2x), 1969, 1969-74, 1971 (2x), 1973 (2x), 1974 (3x), 1975, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982 (2x), 1983-2018 (incl. 1986, 1992, 1997, 2007, 2011 (3x)), 2018 (lower east rift zone in Leilani subdivision), 2020 (Dec) – ongoing
Typical eruption style:
Dominantly effusive since 1790, but ~60% explosive over past ~2500 years.

Kilauea volcano tours:

Hawaii – Birthplace of Islands (14 days walking and study tour to Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Hawai’i)

Dream Come True – World Volcano Tour (4-week round-the-world trip to Hawaii – Vanuatu – New Zealand – Indonesia)

Pele´s Fire and Myths (7 days walking tour exploring Kilauea´s historic eruption sites, Hawai’i)

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Sentinel hub | Landsat 8

Kilauea volcano sat by (C) NASA

Volcano news & updates: Kilauea volcano (Big Island, Hawaii)

Kilauea volcano update: Eruption goes on, lava lake growing

Tue, 22 Dec 2020, 20:53

20:53 PM | BY: T

View of the Kilauea crater in the morning of 22 Dec 2020 (image: HVO)

Thermal image from this morning showing the now single vent feeding the lake (image: HVO)

The new eruption continues at steady pace: during the first day of activity, lava effusion focused on only one of the initially 3 fissure vents in the lower crater walls, something that is often the case as the rising magma tends to exploit the best-available path, now clear of obstacles.

The lava effuses from the active fissure with little explosive interaction into a flow that continues to fill the growing lava pond at the bottom of the crater. Once the vent is submerged, we might be able to adore another true lava lake in Halema’uma’u!

Previous news

Steam and ash plume from last night's beginning of the new eruption at Kilauea volcano ( image taken at approximately 10:30 p.m., 12/20/20, NPS Photo/J. Wei)

Shortly after the eruption began, lava erupted form the new fissures inside the summit crater came in direct contact with the existing water lake. The result was a very explosive interaction that evaporated the lake completely, now being replaced by a pond of lava. read all

Image of the Halema'uma'u crate with the approx. location of the new vents (image: HVO)

The volcano observatory posted a vertical image with the approximate location of the new vents, 3 in total, on the lower NW walls of the Halema’uma’u pit crater. … read all

View of the eruptive site in the morning from the western rim of the Halema'uma'u collapse crater (image: HVO webcam)

As dawn breaks over Kilauea volcano, some details about the new eruption can be seen: the new vents are eruptive fissures in the western and northwestern lower walls of the pit crater. They produce low lava fountains that feed flows that have been creating a pool of lava at the bottom of the crater. read all

USGS posted the following summary with interesting information about the activity at the volcano during the weeks preceding today’s new eruption: … read all

More on VolcanoDiscovery

Exploring the unknown: We sometimes invite you to “test” new itineraries or destinations with us. Such trips are a reduced cost and require a higher degree of flexibility, but often offer a great deal of adventure.

Definition of a volcano: A volcano is the term for any place on the surface of the earth, where hot molten rock (magma) reaches the surface.

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