A Volcano Is Erupting in Hawaii—Watch Timelapse Footage

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The Kīlauea volcano is erupting and drawing “thousands of visitors” to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, according to the park itself. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that the eruption started in the early morning hours of December 23 and has since stabilized, though conditions could change at any time.

“The @usgs Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists had been tracking increased activity at the summit and observed intensifying earthquakes and ground deformation about a half-hour before lava breached the surface of the crater floor,” USGS wrote in a caption sharing timelapse footage of the eruption. “Several HVO webcams caught the opening moments. Initially, fountains of lava reached heights of over 295 ft (90 m). Airborne molten rock was ejected from vents on the caldera floor and tossed as high as the west caldera rim, within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Lava from the vents spread out over the caldera floor to cover more than 500 acres within hours of the eruption.”

Beyond lava, the eruption has also generated a plume of volcanic gas reaching an estimated 6,000-8,000 feet above sea level. Despite the obvious hazards, visitors have come running to see this natural phenomenon in action. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park says folks can view the eruption from nearly all open areas surrounding the caldera.

The park advises visitors to stay on marked trails, keep out of closed areas, avoid the area if you have heart of respiratory problems, slow down while driving and expect long waits, and refrain from disturbing wildlife you may see while there.

See Hawaii Volcanoes National Park’s full post below, and then scroll for timelapse footage of the volcano erupting in Hawaii.

Watch USGS’s timelapse footage of the eruption here:

Watch live footage at www.youtube.com/usgs/live.

Header image credit: NPS photo/Janice Wei