HILO, Hawaii (AP) — Kilauea, one of the globe’s most active volcanoes located on Hawaii’s Big Island, started erupting from its northern vent on Wednesday. This marks the latest chapter of an eruption that has been going on for nearly six months.
Lava fountains surged to more than 330 feet (100 meters) and fueled various lava streams. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory indicated that the fountains are likely to rise even further.
The latest event was preceded by gas-pistoning, in which gas accumulates at a lava column’s top within a vent, on Tuesday.
The observatory explained that this activity makes the lava surface rise or piston. “Eventually, gas will escape as splatter or lava is expelled, and then lava withdraws back into the vent,” the observatory detailed on its Facebook page.
These were occurring up to 10 times an hour, but increased in intensity until a small, sustained dome fountain began to feed flows to the crater floor a day later.
It is the 25th eruptive episode since the volcano on the southeastern part of the island began erupting Dec. 23. It has been pausing and resuming since.
Most of the eruptive episodes have spewed lava for about a day or less, with pauses between them generally lasting a few days.
