Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is once again showing signs of unrest. The volcano, which is located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii Island, is not currently erupting but it is showing signs of "elevated unrest," an update from the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) reported.
The number of earthquakes in the vicinity of the volcano's summit has increased by an average of 20 a day to more than 40 a day in the past week, peaking at 100 on Sunday. These included a magnitude 4.3 earthquake that residents across Hawaii felt. Most of the other earthquakes were small, the observatory said.
Although scientists can't say whether this unrest will lead to an eruption, it indicates that magma is accumulating below the summit's surface. An eruption does not appear to be imminent but it could occur with "little or no warning," the observatory said.
Scientists keep a close eye on all of Hawaii's volcanoes. From August 15, the HVO will be issuing daily updates on Kilauea's activity. The volcano is currently under a Yellow advisory warning.
Kilauea is an extremely active volcano and has been erupting regularly since 1983. In December 2022, the volcano stopped erupting for the first time since September 2021, but the quiet period was short-lived.
Its last eruption occurred just over two months ago on June 7. This was not destructive and stayed contained within the creator. Currently, the volcano is displaying signs of ground deformation rates at the summit, as was the case before the last eruption.
Kilauea is also one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Hawaii. In 2018 an eruption caused large lava flows throughout the Puna District, which destroyed more than 700 homes from May through August. The summit area of the national park was drastically changed as the volcano triggered tens of thousands of earthquakes.
It was the largest eruption of the volcano in 200 years and was unusual as most of Kilauea's eruptions tend not to be so destructive, with the majority contained to the crater.
When an eruption does take place, the observatory streams it live on its website, so it can be watched in real time. Webcams are set up to view many different angles of the volcano.
Wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui last week have left at least 96 people dead according to County of Maui officials. The death toll is expected to rise.
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Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
