(BIVN) – Lava flows cover the floor of Nāpau crater as the new eruption in the central east rift zone of Kīlauea volcano has entered a third phase of activity.
The USGS volcano alert level for Kīlauea remains at “WATCH” with the aviation color code ORANGE.
New helicopter video from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory shows new fissures erupting just west of and within Nāpau Crater on Tuesday morning.
The eruption occurred in a cordoned-off and remote area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Officials say there is no immediate threat to life or infrastructure.
This third phase follows two start-stop episodes in the same area of the volcano. This latest, intense activity began in the darkness of the morning, between 4 and 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
Scientists were on site at dawn, recording videos for the observatory’s website and social media channels. On the left is a map created using the data collected and thermal images. On the right is a video the scientists shared on Facebook.
They also examined the erupted lava and quenched their samples in water to preserve the geochemistry for later analysis.
Due to ongoing eruption activity, the Chain of Craters Road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remains closed to all use.
The observatory said this was the first eruption in the Nāpau crater area since 1997. Fissure eruptions lasting several days are not unusual, and it is currently difficult to say how long the eruptive activity may continue.
Inclinometers indicate a constant flow of magma from Kilauea’s summit to the eruption site. As long as magma continues to flow into the Middle East rift zone, eruptive activity is likely to continue.