Spectacular photo showing onset of eruption / 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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Kilauea volcano sat by (C) NASA
Volcano news & updates: Kilauea volcano (Big Island, Hawaii)
Kilauea volcano update: Spectacular photo showing onset of eruption
Mon, 21 Dec 2020, 19:19
19:19 PM | BY: T
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.
The Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park posted a spectacular image showing this activity. The explosions between lava and water not only generated massive amounts of steam, but also fragmented lots of rock and lava material, generating a tall steam and ash plume that rose to approx. 9000 m initially. By now, this activity has died out as most available water disappeared.
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