New eruption atop Kilauea spewing 26,000 gallons of lava… every second

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KILAUEA (HawaiiNewsNow) – New eruption atop Kilauea spews over 26,000 gallons of lava a second, the scientists said, and filled the floor of the Halemaumau crater.

The lava lake was growing at a rapid rate – about three feet per hour – on Thursday, but levels appeared lower on Friday morning. Frank Trusdell, a geologist at the Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory, said it looked like this because “basically we’re in a funnel and so for every increment of lava you add you have to cover a larger area in order to to obtain a substantial increase. “

The eruption began on Wednesday afternoon, spouting flaming fountains as high as 100 feet. Thousands of people flocked to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to witness the spectacular spectacle.

Scientists said the area of the lava lake had increased by about 79 feet since the eruption began.

The lava lake now spans about 127 acres, more than 12 times the size of the lava lake during the 2018 eruption. But unlike the 2018 eruption, scientists have reassured the public that there was no threat to the community and no signs of activity in the East Rift Zone, Lower Puna or other areas.

“We are monitoring the volcano, we have instruments everywhere, and the only signs of activity are right here at the top,” Trusdell told Hawaii News Now. “All the seismicity and ground deformation related to the volcano is here in Halemaumau.”

Ikaika Marzo, who became a strong community leader during the 2018 eruption, said there was a sense of relief among residents that lava remained in the crater.

“It’s always an excitement to see lava again, but it’s always a good thing that it’s back in Halemaumau Crater,” Marzo said. “We saw lava in 2018 and 2018 was right around the world in people’s quarters and now we have lava in Halemaumau crater and that’s where it should be.”

He also said that visitors to the new eruption offered a much needed boon to the economy of the island of Hawaii, still reeling amid the pandemic.

Janet Comey, Executive Director of Kilauea Lodge, agreed.

“With the rash that happened last night, it has been going on and on,” she said.

“Our phone rang nonstop today, really. We’re full, our rooms are full tonight, and we’re filling up for this weekend as well. More people is a win-win for everyone, really.

With the number of visitors increasing, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said people should plan accordingly. “Definitely thousands of people come in and especially just before sunrise and right after sunset these are our busiest times so if you are planning a trip to the park you might want to time it after 9 am evening and maybe like 3 am, ”she said.

She added that people should dress warmly as the weather is significantly cooler there.

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