HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Kilauea began erupting inside its summit crater Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, less than a month after the volcano and its larger neighbor Mauna Loa stopped emitting lava
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected a glow in webcam images that indicated Kilauea had begun erupting inside Halemaumau Crater in the volcano’s summit caldera, the agency said.
The summit of Kilauea is located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and away from residential communities.
Earlier Thursday, the US Geological Survey raised the alert level for Kilauea due to signs that magma was moving below the summit’s surface, an indication that the volcano could erupt.
Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It last erupted for 16 months starting in September 2021. For about two weeks starting on November 27, Hawaii had two volcanoes spewing lava together when Mauna Loa first erupted in 38 years Both volcanoes stopped erupting at about the same time.
During the twin eruption, visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park were able to see lava from both eruptions at the same time.
“It was a beautiful eruption, and a lot of people were able to see it, and it didn’t take out any major infrastructure, and most importantly, it didn’t affect anyone’s lives,” said Ken Hon, scientist in charge of the Volcano Observatory of Hawaii. .
The lava on Mauna Loa did not pose a threat to any communities, but it was located 1.7 miles from a major road connecting the east and west sides of the island. A 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 residences.
The observatory planned to continue monitoring the volcanoes for signs of renewed activity. Hon previously said there is generally a three-month “cooling off” period before scientists consider an eruption complete.
It was not clear what connection there might be with volcanoes stopping their eruptions at the same time. The volcanoes can be seen at the same time from several points in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, near the Kilauea caldera.
Scientists planned to analyze data to study the relationship between the two volcanoes, Hon.
For Native Hawaiians, volcanic eruptions have deep cultural and spiritual significance. During the eruption of Mauna Loa, many Hawaiians participated in cultural traditions, such as singing, chanting and dancing in honor of Pele, the deity of volcanoes and fire, and leaving offerings known as “hookupu”.