Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts

Honolulu, Hawaii – The Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii has erupted, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The eruption began Sunday night in the Halema’uma’u crater. The volcano is located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

About an hour after the eruption began, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck. The United States Geological Survey received more than 500 reports that they felt the earthquake, although no significant damage to buildings or structures was expected.

The National Weather Service issued an advisory for Honolulu warning of ash from the volcano. Excessive exposure to ash can cause eye and respiratory irritation, he noted.

Kilauea erupted in 2018, destroying more than 700 homes and pouring out enough lava to fill 320,000 Olympic swimming pools. An area the size of more than half of Manhattan was covered by a layer of now hardened lava, which reached 24 meters (80 feet) thick in places. The lava flowed for four months.