Geologists on Wednesday warned that Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano could erupt explosively and send boulders, rocks and ash into the air around its summit in the coming weeks.
The risk will rise as lava drains from the summit crater down the flank of the volcano, and explosions could occur if the lava drops below the groundwater level, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
There is also potential for ash, steam and sulfur dioxide emissions.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
It has destroyed 36 structures since it began releasing lava from fissures that opened in a Big Island neighborhood about 40km east of the summit crater. There are now 15 of the vents spread through Leilani Estates and neighboring Lanipuna Gardens.
In the weeks ahead, the volcano could eject blocks up to 1.8m in diameter a little less than 1.6km away, the USGS said, adding that it might also send pebbles shooting into the air several kilometers away.
The receding lava lake resembles conditions seen before a major summit eruption in 1924, USGS Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory scientist-in-charge Tina Neal said.
That explosion killed one person and sent rocks, ash and dust into the air for 17 days.
No one lives in the immediate area of the summit crater. However, people have continued to visit Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, which includes the crater and surrounding region.
The park would be evacuated before conditions develop for an explosive eruption at the summit, spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said.
Separately, Hawaii Governor David Ige said a geothermal energy plant near the lava outbreak was accelerating its removal of stored flammable gas.
Puna Geothermal Venture has about 189,270 liters of pentane on site, but he expected it would all be removed by the end of yesterday.
It would be “very, very hazardous” if a volcanic vent were to open under the facility where the fuel is stored, Ige said.
The plant, which is owned by Ormat Technologies of Reno, Nevada, is across the highway from where lava has been erupting.
Authorities had ordered nearly 2,000 residents to leave the neighborhoods in and around the vents in the mostly rural district of Puna.
Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) in droves, while one of the world’s largest porn distributors said it was blocking users from its platforms as the country yesterday rolled out sweeping online age restriction. Australia in December became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media. A separate law now requires artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot services to keep certain content — including pornography, extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material — from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$34.6 million). The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of US states requiring
Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani on Friday after dissolving the Kosovar parliament said a snap election should be held as soon as possible to avoid another prolonged political crisis in the Balkan country at a time of global turmoil. Osmani said it is important for Kosovo to wrap up the upcoming election process and form functional institutions for political stability as the war rages in the Middle East. “Precisely because the geopolitical situation is that complex, it is important to finish this electoral process which is coming up,” she said. “It is very hard now to imagine what will happen next.” Kosovo, which declared
MORE BANS: Australia last year required sites to remove accounts held by under-16s, with a few countries pushing for similar action at an EU level and India considering its own ban Indonesia on Friday said it would ban social media access for children under 16, citing threats from online pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud and Internet addiction. “Accounts belonging to children under 16 on high-risk platforms will start to be deactivated, beginning with YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox,” Indonesian Minister of Communications and Digital Meutya Hafid said. “The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giants of the algorithm. Implementation will begin on March 28, 2026,” she said. The social media ban would be introduced in stages “until all platforms fulfill their
RSS