Amount of ash in plume above Hawaii volcano decreases

PAHO, Hawaii — A geophysicist says a plume that’s rising from the Kilauea volcano summit on Hawaii’s Big Island does not contain as much ash as it did on Tuesday.

Mike Poland with the U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday the plume seems to be made largely of rock dust.

Because there’s little wind, the plume for the most part is rising vertically over the summit.

USGS scientists will not monitor the plume from a summit observatory because of fears of falling ash. Instead, they will operate from a backup command centre at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Warnings to pilots are still in place because of the plume that reached 12,000 feet (3,658 metres) Tuesday. The volcano has been spewing lava from fissures that opened up on its flanks for two weeks.