The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupted. One of its craters began spewing lava yesterday afternoon (local time), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Lava fountains up to 30 meters high have been observed. So far, activity has been limited to the summit zone of the 1,247 meter high volcano. However, the earthquake station warned of dangerous gases in the area.
Kilauea is located southeast of the 4,170 meter high Mauna Loa on the largest island in the Hawaiian chain of islands, which itself bears the name “Hawaii” and is also known as the “Big Island”. Mauna Loa erupted in late November but is currently quiet, according to the USGS. The Pacific Archipelago is a US state about 3,700 kilometers southwest of the US west coast.
