Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts again, sparkling caldera on top

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has begun erupting inside its summit caldera — less than a month after the volcano and its larger neighbor, Mauna Loa, stopped releasing lava, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Hawaii Volcano Observatory detected a glow in webcam images that indicated Kilauea had begun erupting inside Halemaumau Caldera, the volcano’s summit caldera, the agency said.

The summit of Kilauea is located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, away from residential areas.

Earlier Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey raised Kilauea’s alert level after signs that magma was moving beneath the summit’s surface, suggesting a possible eruption.

During the two eruptions, visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park were able to see lava from two simultaneous eruptions.

“It was a beautiful eruption, a lot of people saw it, it didn’t destroy any major infrastructure, and most importantly, it didn’t affect anyone’s lives,” said Ken Hon, lead scientist at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.

Mauna Loa lava does not pose a threat to any communities, but is less than 1.7 miles from the highway that connects the east and west sides of the island. The 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 homes.

The observatory plans to continue monitoring the volcano for signs of renewed activity. Mr Han has previously said there is usually a three-month “cooling-off period” before scientists deem the eruption complete.

It’s unclear what the link is between the two volcanoes, which stopped erupting at about the same time. The volcanoes can be seen simultaneously from multiple locations in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park near Kilauea Crater.

Mr Han previously said scientists planned to look at the data to study the relationship between the two volcanoes.

For Native Hawaiians, volcanic eruptions have profound cultural and spiritual significance. During the Mauna Loa eruption, many Hawaiians participated in cultural traditions such as singing, chanting and dancing in honor of Pele, the volcano and fire god, and leaving offerings known as “hookupu.”