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Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted late Sunday, authorities said, warning of a possible “Significant emission” volcanic ash.
“An eruption began within the caldera of the summit of Kilauea” shortly after 9:30 p.m. (03:30 in Chile), said the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which reported a 4.4 magnitude earthquake near the volcano shortly after the eruption.
“The situation is evolving rapidly and the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) will issue a new statement when more information becomes available.”
Images released by the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park showed billows of red smoke rising into the night sky.
The USGS warned of a “Significant emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere” and issued a red aviation code for pilots to avoid the area around Kilauea.
View from the western edge of the Kilauea Caldera. Lava is gushing out of a fissure in the NW wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and cascading into the deepest part of the crater, which had been occupied by a lake of water (now replaced by a growing lake of lava). pic.twitter.com/VKIFA1Npr0
– USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) December 21, 2020
Kīlauea 12/20/2020 around 9:40 PM. pic.twitter.com/o1xHF0AtaG
– Jozie A. (@soooirrelephant) December 21, 2020
The National Weather Service said prevailing winds could push the ash toward communities in the southwest of the Big Island, so those with respiratory problems should take “extra precautions.”
The Kilauea, a popular tourist attraction located on the Big Island, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and has been erupting regularly since the 1950s.
In 2014, the Big Island declared a state of emergency after incandescent lava from the Kilauea set a house on fire and threatened the entire city of Pahoa at its eastern end.
The Big Island, or Hawaii, is the largest of the eight major islands that make up this US state in the Pacific, an archipelago that includes hundreds of small volcanic islands.
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