Kīlauea: lava fountain episode 55 ends in Hawaii's volcano national park
In Kīlauea's Halemaʻumaʻu crater, the latest phase of lava fountaining ended abruptly after about six hours. The US Geological Survey lowered the alert level.
Archive image · Photo: USGS/H. Winslow / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
Episode 55 of the ongoing eruption in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater of Hawaii's Kīlauea volcano ended abruptly at 9:03 a.m. local time on 17 October, the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS) reported. It followed about six hours of continuous lava fountaining. The observatory lowered the volcano alert level from WATCH to ADVISORY and the aviation colour code from orange to yellow.
All eruptive vents and lava flows are confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, at an elevation of about 1,247 metres. According to USGS, hot lava on the crater floor may keep moving for days after an episode. Volcanic gases such as sulphur dioxide remain hazardous downwind, and fine glass strands known as Pele's hair can irritate skin and eyes.
The crater rim has been closed to the public since late 2007 because of rockfalls and wall instability. USGS points viewers to its three livestreams of the Kīlauea summit, while the US National Park Service provides visitor information.
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