Fresh lava-spewing cracks frazzle nerves in Hawaii
A 17th fissure spewing lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has formed in the southeast corner of the Big Island, officials said Sunday as the state braces for potentially violent eruptions.
The new fissure comes as state and federal officials 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 leave their homes. Steam and lava spatter could be seen from the new fissure, officials said.
The newest fissure appeared at least several hundred yards long and was producing spatter rising “many tens of feet into the air,” the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Sunday’s unsettling volcanic activity followed another fissure announced Saturday. The agency also warned about the possibility of an explosive eruption at the volcano’s Halema’uma’u Crater because of the 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 falling lava level inside the volcano. If it falls below the water table, water will pour onto the lava, generating steam that could explode from the summit in a shower of rocks, ash and sulfur dioxide gases. Boulders as big as refrigerators could be tossed a half-mile, and ash plumes could soar as high as 20,000 feet spread over 12 miles, according to the Hawaii Civil Defense.
Concerns have been mounting since Kilauea erupted May 3, sending 2,200degree 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 near a geothermal energy plant, the agency said. Plant workers removed 50,000 gallons of pentane, a highly flammable solvent, stored at the site as a precaution.
On Friday, President Trump declared the Big Island a 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 to pluck hundreds of residents out of danger if necessary.
The Big Island, also known as the island of Hawaii, has a population of about 190,000 about 200 miles southeast of Oahu, the most-populous island and site of the state capital, Honolulu. The eruption on the Big Island is not affecting Oahu.
“We’ve got all the warning signs we need,” said Steve Brantley of the geological survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the Honolulu StarAdvertiser reported. “There may not be any additional warning.”
“We’ve got all the warning signs we need. There may not be any additional warning.” Steve Brantley Hawaiian Volcano Observatory