New fissure raises concerns about violent explosions
A 17th fissure sputtering lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has formed in the southeast corner of the Big Island, officials said Sunday, raising anxieties as the state braces for potentially violent eruptions.
The new fissure, a crack on the ground allowing lava to pour out, comes as state and federal officials already warned residents in that corner of the island to be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
The fissure was spotted west of state Highway 132 and led state officials to call for some residents along Halekamahina Loop Road to evacuate their homes.
Steam and lava spatter could be seen from the new fissure, officials said. It was not immediately clear how many residents are affected by the evacuation order.
The newest fissure appeared at least several hundreds yards long and was producing spatter rising “many tens of feet into the air,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Sunday’s unsettling volcanic activity followed another fissure announced Saturday by USGS.
The agency warned about the possibility of an explosive eruption at the volcano’s Halema’uma’u Crater because of the ongoing withdrawal of lava from the Kilauea summit lake.
“This could generate dangerous debris very near the crater and ashfalls up to tens of miles downwind,” the warning said.
The danger comes from the lava level dropping inside the volcano
. If it falls below the water table, water will pour onto the lava, generating steam that will likely explode from the summit in a shower of rocks, ash and sulfur dioxide gas.
Boulders as big as refrigerators could be tossed a half-mile, and ash plumes could soar as high as 20,000 feet spread over a 12-mile area, according to Hawaii Civil Defense.
Concerns have been mounting since Kilauea erupted May 3, sending 2,200-degree lava bursting through cracks into backyards in the Leilani Estates neighborhood and destroying 36 structures, including 26 homes. As the magma shifted underground, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake also rocked the Big Island.
The fissure spotted Saturday, Fissure 16, produced a lava flow that traveled about 250 yards before stalling about 2:30 p.m., the geological survey said.
The 16th fissure opened in the vicinity of a geothermal energy plant, according to the USGS. Last week plant workers removed 50,000 gallons of pentane stored at the site as a precaution.
President Donald Trump on Friday declared the Big Island a major disaster area. The move will allow federal financial assistance for state and local governments as they repair roads, parks, schools and water pipes damaged by the eruption.
The Hawaii National Guard has prepared to use ground convoys and even helicopters if necessary to pluck hundreds of residents out of harm’s way.
The Big Island, also known as the island of Hawaii, has a population of about 190,000 people about 200 miles southeast of Oahu, the most populous island and site of the state capital, Honolulu.
The volcanic activity on the Big Island is not affecting Oahu.