The world’s most active volcano, Mt. Kīlauea, roared to life once again on September 29th, 2021. For the first time since December of 2020, the observatory on Kīlauea detected a glow Hawai’i’s youngest volcano. At 3:20 pm on Wednesday, September 29th, multiple fissures opened up inside Kīlauea’s Halemaʻumaʻu crater and filled the massive caldera with over 60 feet of lava by the next morning.
Following the eruption, United States Geological Survey for Volcanos posted this on Twitter: “Lava fountains reach height of a 5-story building as #KilaueaErupts. Beginning Sep 29, lava fountains appeared on surface of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater. Video shows dominant fountain south of the lake center. Stay informed, track conditions: http://ow.ly/AuCp50GjDrK.”
It is a beautiful sight for anyone who happens to visit Hawai’i’s Volcano National Park during the eruption. It is completely safe to view the lava pools from the observatory, as the only possible worry might be volcanic gas. If anybody so happened to have planned a trip to the island during the eruption, you might be in luck!
Mt. Kīlauea is Hawai’i’s youngest volcano, but also its mightiest. It seems small compared to its massive neighbors, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, and Kohala, but is the most active out of all of them. Also, Kīlauea is home to the Hawaiian volcano goddess, Pele. Pele’s home has erupted 34 times since 1952, with several continuous eruptions spanning from 1983-2018, and the end of 2020 to May of 2021. The pure force of these eruptions has changed the landscape of Halemaʻumaʻu crater so much that not only do returning tourists not recognize it, but Hawai’i Volcanos National Park has displayed molds of the massive caldera before the major eruptions and after.
When Kīlauea burst to life again in September of 2021, it brought lava, volcanic gas, and earthquakes with it. Not only did over 60 feet of lava rise within the first night, but the USGS also “recorded an offshore magnitude 6.2 earthquake southwest the Island of Hawai‘i on Sunday, October 10, at 11:48 a.m., HST.”
As of November 30th, Mt. Kīlauea was still actively erupting, but the lava pool in the summit had lowered from 60 feet to 50 feet. Only the vent on the western rim of the crater remains active, as the eastern vent is now covered by solidified lava.
Even with the volcano ever so slightly slowing down, all visitors must take precautions. If any students or faculty plan on taking a trip to Hawai’i soon, be sure to do all necessary research on the risks of going to Hawai’i Volcano National Park and enjoy your trip! In the meantime, Mt. Kīlauea continues to violently erupt, for the second time this year. Mt. Kīlauea truly embodies the phrase, “small but mighty,” due to its number of powerful and violent eruptions over the years.
