Kilauea volcano activity pauses after 61 days
COURTESY USGS
Webcam footage from the Halemaumau Crater and lava lake today.
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY VIA AP / JAN. 6
This photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows the inside of the summit crater of the Kilauea volcano.
The latest volcanic eruption at Kilauea’s summit on Hawaii island has paused after 61 days of volcanic activity.
Lava is no longer flowing on the Halemaumau Crater’s floor, where all recent eruptive activity has been confined, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement today.
No significant changes have been observed along the volcano’s rift zones. Scientists on Monday observed small “ooze-outs” of lava flowing sluggishly in the lava lake.
Officials said activity diminished in the afternoon, and by Tuesday, there was no active lava in the crater.
USGS said the reduction in activity was related to the “larger deflationary tilt drop” that began Feb. 17, a common process at Kilauea in which the ground deflates for hours or days. The drop in pressure can then cause eruptions to diminish.
Kilauea began erupting again Jan. 5 after scientists detected a glow within Halemaumau Crater. The latest eruption started after a nearly monthlong pause in activity.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. A 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 homes.
Before the major 2018 eruption, Kilauea had been erupting since 1983, and streams of lava occasionally covered farms and homes. During that time, the lava sometimes reached the ocean, causing dramatic interactions with the water.
