Latest from Kilauea: Lava overflows lake, rocks cause explosion
The rising lava lake at Kilauea volcano spilled over its rim onto the Halemaumau Crater floor overnight and Wednesday morning.
The overflow is the latest development in the eruption of Kilauea, and follows an explosion Tuesday morning, caused by rocks falling into the lava lake at the bottom of Halemaumau Crater.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory released a video and photos of the explosion and its aftermath.
Scientists said it happened at 10:20 a.m. Tuesday and the blast sent fragments of molten lava onto the rim of Halemaumau Crater, 280 feet above the lake.
The overlook above the lake is closed to the public, but scientists visiting the area afterward saw fresh lava spatter.
Some lava from the explosion also landed on the Halemaumau webcam, melting some of the wire insulation but not enough to interrupt its operation.
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Geologists reported Wednesday that the lava briefly overflowed at about 9:40 p.m. Tuesday night, and rose above the rim again at 2 a.m. and at about 8 a.m.
Webcameras showed lava from the lake on the Halemaumau Crater floor.
Scientists said there is little danger of lava now of lava rising over the Halemaumau Crater wallls and threatening the park.
The lava lake has been rising for the past week as Kilauea goes through a period of inflation.
The inflation continued Tuesday, but decreased slightly Wednesday morning.
The sight has drawn thousands of visitors to the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park, with some people waiting 30 minutes to park or having to hike a mile to the lava viewing area from other parking areas.
The lava lake is not always visible from the Halemaumau crater rim.
The crater holding the lava lake is about 520 feet by 690 feet wide and the lava level rises and falls with inflation and deflation periods at Kilauea, from its current level to about 650 feet below the floor of Halemaumau.
In the last two years, the laval level has typically ranged from between 100 to 200 feet below the Halemaumau Crater floor.
The lava is at its highest point since the lake formed in 2008.