Hawaii's Kīlauea experiences 56th eruption episode, spewing lava hundreds of feet high in latest activity
Hawaii's Kīlauea began its 56th eruptive episode since December 23, 2024, just at 12:10 p.m. local time on Thursday, less than one month after prior episode.
HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii — Hawaii's Kīlauea began its 56th eruptive episode since December 23, 2024, just at 12:10 p.m. local time on Thursday, less than one month after prior episode.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), at the start of the episode, lava fountains and flows erupted form the volcano's north vent at height of about 100 feet, with smaller fountains erupting from the southwest vent.
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Wind gusts blew the plume toward the southwest, with winds reaching 23 mph and gusts reaching 32 mph.
This episode from Kilauea followed days of intermittent spatter, low-dome fountains and lava flows from the vent complex.
Initially, the lava fountains were relatively low and just reaching 300 feet high. However, they eventually reached a maximum height of 660 feet.
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"Surface-level winds are blowing from the northeast direction, with upper level winds from the east-southeast, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed between the southwest and northwest direction from Halemaʻumaʻu," USGS stated in their release.
The National Weather Service released a special weather statement regarding the event.
"Any ash fallout will likely occur over the Kau District and Highway 11 west of the town of Volcano and possibly as far southwest as Pahala," the agency stated. "Avoid excessive exposure to ash which is an eye and respiratory irritant. Those with respiratory sensitivities should take extra precaution to minimize exposure."
The plume from this episode reached 18,000 feet above sea level.
The 56th episode lasted close to 6 hours, ending at 6:01 pm local time.
USGS reported that nearly 8 million cubic yards of lava erupted during the episode.
The active volcano has seen dozens of episodes since the end of 2024, with episodes usually occurring just a couple of weeks apart.
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