BREAKING: Volcano EXPLOSIVE eruption shoots ash 30,000 feet into air
HAWAII’S Kilauea volcano has erupted from its summit.
By Charlotte Ikonen
DailyStar.co.uk
17th May 2018
A dusty plume of ash has been sent 300,000 feet into the sky.
Mike Poland, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey, confirmed the explosion on Thursday.
It comes after more than a dozen fissures recently opened miles to the east of the crater and spewed lava into neighborhoods.
Those areas were evacuated as lava destroyed at least 26 homes and 10 other structures.
The crater sits within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which has been closed since May 11.
Officials have said they didn’t expect the explosion to be deadly as long as people remained out of park.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
An eruption in 1924 killed one person and sent rocks, ash and dust into the air for 17 days.
The volcano has been erupting for 10 days, and more than 2000 residents have already been evacuated.
“At any time, activity may become more explosive, increasing the intensity of ash production and producing ballistic projectiles near the vent,” the USGS said on Tuesday afternoon.
The USGS also raised the volcano aviation alert level at Hawaii’s Kilauea to red – the highest level – which indicates a “major volcanic eruption is imminent, underway, or suspected with hazardous activity both on the ground and in the air”.
A recent lowering of the lava lake at the volcano’s Halemaumau crater “has raised the potential for explosive eruptions” at the volcano, the organisation said.
The Rest…HERE
