A sudden volcanic eruption occurred today at Kilauea in Hawaii. The eruption began at 2:20 AM HST (13:20 UTC), rapidly filling the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater with lava within minutes.
A livestream captured the moment when a fissure opened in the western part of the crater and quickly expanded. A powerful but short-lived lava fountain erupted from a previous eruption site. Within 35 minutes, lava had spread across most of the crater floor, forming a new lava lake. This lake continues to be fed by an active lava fountain at the western crater rim.
The eruption was preceded by a brief seismic crisis that began around 2:00 AM HST. Over the past 24 hours, more than 180 earthquakes were recorded, with increased seismic activity already detected yesterday. Surprisingly, there was no significant ground inflation, which is typically observed in the days and weeks before an eruption.
Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, last showed heightened seismic activity on December 4. This sudden eruption serves as a reminder of how unpredictable volcanic activity can be.