The summit of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted and launched a plume of ash and smoke into the air Thursday—nearby residents are asked to shelter in place.
Officials say the danger from this eruption is mainly ash fallout.
According to the USGS, ash will fall in the surrounding area and be carried with the wind toward the southeast.
The eruption sent the ash some 30,000 feet into the air.
A red alert warning was issued for Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano on Tuesday.
The warning from the USGS means that ‘a major volcano eruption is imminent, underway or suspected with hazardous conditions both on the ground and in the air.’
In early May 2018, hundreds of small earthquakes were detected on Kīlauea’s East rift zone, leading officials to issue evacuation warnings. On May 3, 2018, the volcano erupted in lower Puna after a 5.0 earthquake earlier in the day, causing evacuations of the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions.
A seemingly related 6.9 magnitude earthquake occurred on May 4. By May 9, 27 houses had been destroyed in Leilani Estates.
No deaths have been reported.
