All eyes are on Hawaii after the explosion in the Kilauea crater, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, according to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.
The volcano has already entered an explosive eruption phase, throwing stones hundreds of meters and a column of ash more than 9,100 meters above sea level, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Geologists have been warning of such an explosion for days now, claiming that previous emissions from the crater were likely due to rockslides or gas explosions.
Despite the size of the explosive eruption, several nearby residents said they had not seen or heard anything, but experts believe it was because it was dark and because the explosion occurred deep within the crater.
“ This is the kind of explosive activity that we anticipate, ” said USGS geophysicist Mike Poland, who was in Kilauea from 2005 to 2015. “It’s not going to be the only one. Additional events are very likely.”
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park officials said the caldera, the depression in the center of the volcano, fell more than 900 cm overnight, triggering frequent earthquakes that have cracked roads in the area. As the boiler sinks further, it can cause additional steam-driven explosions.
Given the threat, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remains closed , and Civil Guard officials urged those living near the crater to go to shelters.
The wind is carrying the plume of the eruption northeast, causing ash to rain down on nearby communities. Ash represents the main health threat from this eruption.
The observatory also warned that vog – a noxious smoke that forms when sulfur dioxide from eruptive vents interacts with water vapor and oxygen in the air – has been detected in the community of Pahala, southwest of the volcano.
Meanwhile, stormy weather caused the ash to mix with the rain, creating a dark paste that covered the roofs and windshields of vehicles.
Kilauea is the volcano with the longest ongoing eruption in the world, emanating lava since 1983.
But in recent weeks the volcano has become particularly restless. Around 20 fissures opened in communities along the eastern slopes of the volcano, prompting evacuations of thousands of residents and engulfing dozens of homes in lava.
It’s not the first time.
Kilauea has erupted this way before . In May 1924, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory recorded more than 50 explosive events over the course of two and a half weeks at the summit of the volcano. The scenario now repeats itself.
“It’s not likely to turn into a catastrophic event,” says Mike Polland.
Coincidentally, the explosive event occurs on the 38th anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption in Washington state in 1980. However, what is happening in Kilauea is fundamentally different from the 1980 eruption, according to experts. Shield volcanoes like Kilauea produce liquid basaltic lava that doesn’t tend to erupt as dramatically as steep stratovolcanoes like Mount St. Helena.
While St. Helena lies along the geologically active boundary of the Pacific Plate, Kilauea and the other Hawaiian volcanoes are fed by a hot spot deep in the Earth’s mantle.
But phreatic eruptions can still pose a deadly threat to anyone near the eruptive vent, and they are extremely difficult to forecast, Poland said. They are much more random.
Thus, in addition to monitoring the current activity of the volcano, the researchers are tracking data from the extensive Kilauea monitoring network – of seismometers and ground and airborne gas detectors – in search of any changes that preceded this week’s event. Their hope is to identify warning signs that could be used to predict phreatic eruptions in Hawaii and elsewhere.
