Kilauea summit explosion shakes area anew
BRUCE ASATO / basato@staradvertiser.com
Halemaumau Crater, shown here on June 28, continues to produce gas-driven explosions that shake the surrounding area of Kilauea volcano’s summit. An explosion early this afternoon led to another magnitude-5.3 seismic event.
UPDATE 1:30 p.m.
As predicted, a Kilauea volcano summit explosion this afternoon shook the surrounding area.
A seismic event, likely associated with the 1:20 p.m. explosion, was equal to a magnitude 5.3 earthquake, officials said. No tsunami was generated, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
This morning, officials with the U. S. Geological Survey said they expected another explosive event at the summit after a similar explosion Wednesday, and increased seismic activity in the area this morning.
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Scientists at the the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory expect another collapse explosion at the summit of Kilauea Volcano today following a 5.3 magnitude explosion Wednesday.
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Following the 10:19 a.m. explosion on the Fourth of July, seismic activity at Kilauea’s summit abruptly fell off for several hours, HVO reported.
Since then, 25 to 35 earthquakes have occurred every hour, most of them in the 2 to 3 magnitude range, leading to expectations of another large explosion today.
Down along the lower East Rift Zone, there have been no significant changes in the past 24 hours, HVO said.
The “spatter cone” from Kilauea’s fissure 8 is an estimated 180 feet at its tallest point.
“Fissure 22 is sporadically spattering this morning; its flow was not incandescent overnight and possibly stalled,” HVO said.
