Hawaii’s Kilauea stops erupting, putting an end to a stunning lava show
HONOLULU — The nearly two-week eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, one of the world’s most active, has come to a pause, scientists said.
After a three-month hiatus, Kilauea began erupting again June 7 — displaying fountains of glowing red lava without threatening any communities or structures.
Crowds of people flocked to the Big Island’s Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which offered safe views of the lava.
Scientists declared the eruption paused again Monday when it rapidly declined in the afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said. Still, some lava continues to flow on the crater floor, which may continue for days as the lava cools, the observatory said, adding that scientists would continue to monitor the volcano.
On Tuesday afternoon, only small, faint pockets of red could be seen on the USGS livestream, which had showed bright bursts of lava on the eruption’s first day.
The previous night, park rangers could still see lava through cracks on the hardened surface of the lava lake, which provided “still pretty good viewing,” said park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane.
Thousands of poor Filipinos risk their lives by living and working in villages inside the danger zone around the Mayon volcano, which is now erupting.
“Park visitation still robust,” she said in an email, adding that the parking lot was full Tuesday at the Kilauea Visitor Center.
Kilauea, Hawaii’s second-largest volcano, erupted from September 2021 until December 2022. For about two weeks in December, Hawaii’s biggest volcano, Mauna Loa, was also erupting on Hawaii’s Big Island.
After a short pause, Kilauea began erupting again in January. That eruption lasted for 61 days, ending in March.
A 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 homes.
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