Vulkaan Kilauea op Hawaii

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Eruption intensifies, lava continues to spread in lower rift zone

The eruption seems to pick up in activity. Activity at the most recent fissures 17 and 18, located at the northeast end of the active fissure system (downrift), has been continuous during the night.
It is characterized by "lava fountaining, explosion of spatter bombs hundreds of feet into the air, and several advancing lava flow lobes moving generally northeast from fissure 17 at the downrift (northeast) end of the new fissure system.", HVO reported a short time ago in the first morning update. "As of about 7 pm, one lobe was 2 yards thick and advancing roughly parallel to Highway 132. The flow front was just over a half mile southeast of the intersection of Highway 132 and Noni Farms Road."

No other significant changes have occurred: earthquakes continue and the summit continues to deflate, increasing the risk of explosive eruptions if ground water enters into the drained conduit of where Halema'uma's lava lake used to be.

ava continues to be erupted from the latest fissures that opened up during the past 48 hours, labeled #17 and #18, and there are signs that the eruption is still developing and might continue (and potentially increase) for a while.

Hawaii just AMAZING Lava Fissure 17

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The spattering/exploding event at fissure 17 continues… pushing the hot liquid rock another two-tenths of a mile toward the Pacific Ocean overnight. She is now nearly half way to the water. And two new fissures, numbers 19 and 20, have apparently broken out in Lani Puna Gardens… just southeast of the PGV Geothermal plant. We heard an unconfirmed report this morning that another house had been destroyed in Lani Puna Gardens. The enormous amount of lava erupted is only a couple hundred yards from Highway 132, but that lobe has apparently stalled. The rest of the flow now appears to be headed in the direction of Ahalanui Beach Park (hot pond) area, or possibly as far northeast as Vacationland and Kapoho Beach Lots.

HVO confirms fissure 20 opened

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Fissure 20 opened
A new burst of volcanic ash has been released from the Kileaua volcano today in what U.S. Geological Survey officials warn is “a phase of more continuous explosive activity.”

Rock falls and gas explosions within Halemaumau Crater caused the ash plume, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said in a Facebook post today.

The plume also signifies that residents of the Big Island “need to expect that it will become more explosive," Rick Hazlett of the USGS told ABC News.

Kileaua volcano in Hawaii sees new burst of volcanic ash, May 15, 2018.USGS Volcanoes
The Kileaua volcano in Hawaii sees new burst of volcanic ash, May 15, 2018.
Excessive exposure to ash can make driving difficult and can irritate the eyes and respiratory system, so officials have also urged residents to minimize their exposure to it.

This new burst of ash comes hours after the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said a new fissure has opened up on the Big Island, bringing the total number of lava- and gas-spewing cracks to 20 in the wake of the May 3 eruption.

Officials Monday warned of "hazardous emissions of sulfur dioxide" in the Lanipuna Gardens subdivision.

The air quality there has been evaluated as a "condition red," which means the air could pose an immediate danger, the Civil Defense Agency said in a post on Monday. The gases are especially dangerous for the elderly, children, babies and people with respiratory problems, officials said.

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Hawaii Kilauea volcano could soon explode in once-in-a-century eruption

VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii -- The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island has been blowing off toxic steam and releasing lava for a week. But on Thursday, there were signs it could soon explode and widen the disaster.

Geologists are warning a possible explosion at the summit of Kilauea could be the largest in nearly 100 years, hurling boulders the size of refrigerators. The heavy clouds of smoke coming from the main crater on Wednesday were likely triggered by a rock fall from the crater walls.

As the lava levels inside the volcano drain lower, the danger of an eruption can actually increase. When the molten rock reaches groundwater levels, pressurized steam can cause an explosion, shooting rocks and ash miles away from the crater.

Further down the volcano, the underground lava, oozing through cracks in the neighborhood of Leilani Estates is only about a half-mile away from a geothermal power plant. The plant has been shut down, and workers are trucking away 60,000 gallons of flammable liquids. Hawaii Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation to secure the area.

"If you project the line where the fissures are occurring, the PGV facility is on that line, so we definitely want to be prepared," Ige said.

More: Growing concerns over flammable liquids stored in power plant threatened by lava
Volcanoes National Park will be closed Friday because of the threat. Scientists think conditions could be right for a major explosion within a few days. The last time that happened was in 1924 when it blasted rock and ash more than five miles into the air.

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Red Alert Declared in Hawaii, Kilauea Eruption "Imminent"

The U.S. Geological Survey has raised the alert for Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano from an orange to a red warning.

Ash eruption at the volcano’s summit increased in intensity Tuesday, with an ash cloud spewing as high as 12,000 feet above sea level, according to the USGS.

Ashfall and air pollution associated with a volcanic eruption have been reported as far as 18 miles downwind of Kilauea in Pahala.

A red warning means a “major volcanic eruption is imminent, underway or suspected with hazardous activity both on the ground and in the air,” the USGS said.

"At any time, activity may become more explosive, increasing the intensity of ash production and producing ballistic projectiles near the vent," the agency tweeted.

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No significant changes, new fissure opens
The eruption in the lower east rift zone continues with no significant changes. A new fissure has opened up probably during thge night between fissure #16 and #20 and erupted small amounts of lava with spattering during a few hours.
The so-far most productive fissure #17 continues to feed a lava flow towards the ESE, but its progress has significantly slowed down. HVO estimates that it only advanced about 100 m during the past 24 hours, making the scenario of lava reaching the coast in a near future much less likely now.

More significant events have been taking place at the summit, at the site of the former Halema'uma'u lava lake: Visually, ash emissions have increased during the past 48 hours, prompting HVO to raise the aviation color code to red. There are signs that some of the explosive activity might not only be caused by deep rockfalls / collapses inside the drained conduit, but beginning water-hot rock interaction:

Ballistic blocks of up to up to 60 cm (2 feet) across "were found in the parking lot a few hundred yards from Halemaumau. These reflect the most energetic explosions yet observed and could reflect the onset of steam-driven explosive activity. Further observations are necessary to asses this interpretation. Additional such explosions are expected and could be more powerful."