Hawaii volcanic eruption sparks tourism boom and pandemonium

Kilauea volcano on the Big Island in Hawaii woke up again on December 20th evening. The eruption caused an explosion of lava, the water in the lake boiled away, and a huge plume of steam, gas and ash was thrown into the atmosphere. Writes about it maui news.

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During the first hours of the eruption, lava quickly mixed with water in the crater lake at the summit, creating steam. The sky above the eruption took on shades of orange and red, and people lined up to watch a billowing column of gas and steam rise above the volcano in the middle of the night.

Tom Birchard, a senior forecaster for the National Weather Service in Hawaii, said the lava mixed with the water, causing a violent eruption within about an hour. When lava interacts with water, it can cause explosive reactions.

All of the water evaporated from the lake, Birchard said, and the vapor cloud rose 30 feet (000 km) into the atmosphere.

Water was first spotted in the crater of the summit of Kilauea in 2019, after a week of questions about the mysterious green spot at the bottom of the volcano's crater, researchers confirmed the presence of water. Since then, the lake has continued to fill.

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According to the US Geological Survey, the eruption began late Sunday evening in the volcano's caldera. Due to the location of the erupting lava, not a single person was evacuated and the risk to the population was small.

The crater, named Halemaumau, located in Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park, was home to a long-standing lava lake that had existed for years before the 2018 eruption caused it to drain.

The eruption lasted all of Monday, December 21, and scientists said it was hard to say how long it would last. When the water was gone, a lava lake formed in the crater during the day.

The #kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island erupted Sunday night, followed by a 4.4-magnitude earthquake that struck at the volcano's south flank about one hour after the eruption began. pic.twitter.com/XpOXaBn6hr

- The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) December 22, 2020

The Honolulu National Meteorological Service has issued an ash warning. It states that overexposure to ash causes irritation to the eyes and respiratory tract. The agency later reported that the eruption was weakening and a "small ash cloud" remained in the area.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferrakein said volcanic activity poses a danger to people in the park and that caution needs to be taken.

“This morning was quite spectacular,” she said, “but there is a large amount of dangerous sulfur dioxide gas and particulate matter, and it is coming out of the crater right now and poses a danger to everyone, especially people with heart or breathing problems.”

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She also said that cars line up outside the park entrance to see the lava.

“There are a lot of cars waiting on Crater Rim Drive to get out to the Kilauea Lookout. People should expect a long wait,” she said.

Ferrakein also said people need to be mindful of the pandemic and take action to stay safe.

“We encourage people to wear masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” she said.

U.S. Geological Survey officials said there were reports of lava fountains shooting into the sky about 165 feet (50 meters).

David Phillips, a spokesman for the Hawaiian Volcanic Observatory, said the agency is monitoring a "fast-paced" situation.

⚠️BREAKING NEWS⚠️Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has just erupted, followed by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake hitting about an hour after the volcano began erupting. #prayforhawaii #volcano #kilauea # hawaii #breakingnews #news #volcano #eruptions #earthquake #lava pic.twitter.com/zxFm8etKzH

- Stark News®️ (@starkdailynews) December 21, 2020

“We will send out further notices about Kilauea and other Hawaiian volcanoes as the situation changes,” he said.

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An earthquake of magnitude 4,4 happened about an hour after the start of the volcanic eruption.

The US Geological Survey said it had received more than 500 reports of people feeling the earthquake, but there was no significant damage to buildings or structures.

The last eruption of Kilauea occurred in 2018, which destroyed more than 700 homes and erupted enough lava to fill an Olympic-sized 320. An area larger than half of Manhattan was buried in solidified lava up to 000 feet (80 meters) high. The lava flowed for four months.

The eruption in 2018 occurred along a rift zone on the slope of the volcano, where many residential areas were built up. The recent eruption was localized in the summit caldera of the national park.

The volcano has not erupted since 2018, but prior to that, lava flows were active for more than three decades. Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth.

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