Nature
PUBLISHED
1
![Live view of Halema'uma/u crater within Kaluapele (Kilauea caldera), from the northwest rim of the crater [V1cam]](https://assets.iflscience.com/assets/articleNo/82022/aImg/88201/kilauea-s.jpg)
December 23 marked a fiery anniversary for Kīlauea, as the volcano officially reached a whole year since its current eruption began – and it’s spat out some pretty spectacular lava fountains to celebrate.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.Kīlauea is a shield volcano (flatter and gently sloped, as opposed to the more steeply sided, conical stratovolcanoes) found on the island of Hawaiʻi. It’s one of the most active volcanoes in the world, so it was perhaps no surprise last year when Halemaʻumaʻu, a pit crater within the caldera at Kīlauea, started erupting once again.
The eruption has been characterized by its numerous lava fountains, spouts of lava and gas sent speeding upwards into the air when the gas contained within the magma rising towards the surface can’t escape quickly enough.
This lava fountaining has continued in intermittent episodes, the likes of which USGS Volcanoes has said haven’t been seen since a period spanning 1983-1986. There have now been 39 such episodes of lava fountaining, the 39th coincidentally having begun on the first anniversary of the volcano’s current eruptive period.
According to USGS Volcanoes, the latest episode of fountaining started on the evening of December 23 at approximately 8:10 pm Hawaii Standard Time (HST). An hour later, lava fountains at the south vent of the volcano’s caldera had already reached a maximum height of around 427 meters (1,400 feet) – that’s only a little under the total height of the Empire State Building, and the resulting gas and ash plumes have even been seen from space.
Spewing lava to such heights makes for quite the show, but luckily, it’s not one that you’ll only have to imagine. If you’d like to witness the lava fountaining for yourself without leaving the comfort of your couch, we come bearing great news.
Those monitoring the eruption have set up three live cameras at different parts of the crater, allowing you to keep an eye on all the action at once should you wish. The fiery fountains and the lava slowly drifting away below make for a surprisingly relaxing watch, so we’d highly recommend tuning in if all the December festivities are getting to be a bit much.
You may very well be in for a treat if the volcano’s activity over the last year is anything to go by, with high-reaching fountains (the tallest was a whopping 457 meters, or 1,500 feet), and on occasion, even “volnadoes” dancing around them. And if you’d like to know what it’s like to be swallowed by one of those lava fountains? Well, we’ve got just the video for you.
