Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts

Halemaʻumaʻu crater and lava lake. Source: USGS.

Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has erupted.

The eruption began on Wednesday afternoon, just hours before The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory began to record increased earthquake activity and changes in ground deformation patterns at Kīlauea's summit.

As of 6:00 pm local time on Thursday, fissures had created a lava lake 11 metres deep.

On August 23, 2021, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory raised Kīlauea's alert status from "Yellow/Advisory" to "Orange/Watch" due to an earthquake swarm and a concurrent increase in ground deformation at the volcano's summit.

Presently, Kilauea poses no threat to homes. It is contained in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Kīlauea is historically the most active of the five volcanoes that together form the Big Island of Hawaiʻi.