Explosive Kīlauea Volcano eruption sends ash plume 30,000 feet into sky

An explosive eruption occurred at Kilauea's Summit early on Thursday morning, local time, following days of warnings from officials.

The ash cloud reached heights of 30,000 feet, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

According to the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, ash fallout is the main danger from Thursday's explosive eruption.

As the wind may carry ash as far away as Hilo, Hawaii, the Civil Defense advises people to follow these safety tips:

• If this event occurs while you are at home, stay indoors with the windows closed. Turn on your radio and listen for updates from authorities.

• If you are in your car, keep the windows closed. Ash fallout may cause poor driving conditions, due to limited visibility and slippery driving conditions. Drive with extreme caution, or pull over and park.

• After the hazard has passed, do check your home, and especially your catchment system for any impact that may affect your water quality.

The USGS warned that there could be more explosive eruptions at any time, "increasing the intensity of ash production and producing ballistic projectiles near the vent."

The last explosive eruption occurred on Tuesday as an enormous and continuous plume of dark ash began spewing from a fissure on Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano with increased intensity. This prompted the USGS to issue a red alert for aviation, warning airlines and pilots to avoid the volatile area.

Aviators need to be wary of airborne ash, as the particles are large enough to impact the aircraft's engines and cause engine failure.

The ash cloud reportedly reached as high as 10,000 to 12,000 feet above sea level during the Tuesday eruption. The height varied depending on the strength and direction of the wind, with falling ash and increased vog reported in Pahala, a town 18 miles downwind of KÄ«lauea, according to the USGS.

The USGS reported that ash emission greatly decreased on Wednesday.

There are now 21 active fissures that have cracked open since the volcano's eruption on Thursday, May 3, and 37 structures have been destroyed.

Hundreds remain evacuated from the Leilani Estates community, with more businesses closing and evacuations ordered with each new fissure.

The observatory also remains concerned for the possibility of an explosive eruption at the volcano's Halema'uma'u Crater.

"At any time, activity may become more explosive, increasing the intensity of ash production and producing ballistic projectiles near the vent," according to the USGS observatory notice from Tuesday afternoon.

"This could generate dangerous debris very near the crater and ashfalls up to tens of miles downwind," the Civil Defense Agency stated.

Winds are expected to direct the hazardous vog mainly to southern and western areas of the Big Island through the weekend.

"Earthquake activity, ground deformation and continuing high emission rates of sulfur dioxide in the area indicate additional outbreaks of lava are likely as this eruption continues," the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported late Saturday.

Several earthquakes up to magnitude 4.4 shook areas around the volcano on Wednesday as ground deformation continued.

"Employees at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and nearby residents are reporting frequent ground shaking and damage to roads and buildings," the USGS said.

"Strong earthquakes in the area around Kilauea Volcano's summit are expected to continue and may become more frequent," the USGS said.

Such fears prompted officials to close much of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park until further notice.

"Due to the ongoing seismic activity and the anticipated explosions caused by large rock falls, the interaction of ground water and lava and the possibility of an ensuing ashfall event, the KÄ«lauea portion of the park will be closed...until further notice,” National Park Service officials said in a statement.

The national park closed entirely on Friday, May 4, due to strong and damaging earthquakes. No injuries were reported, and about 2,600 visitors were evacuated.

“A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck at 12:32 p.m. Friday and caused violent shaking throughout the park. It triggered rockslides on park trails, crater walls and along sections of Chain of Craters Road,” officials said at the time. "Just one hour earlier, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake caused a coastal cliff to collapse into the ocean near the Hōlei Sea Arch.”

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