Volcanic eruption forms baby island in Pacific Ocean
The new island, created from lava and ash, was birthed near the Tonga Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
LEARN MOREPosted: 3:20 p.m. EDT Jun 7, 2023
The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii began erupting on Wednesday, forcing the U.S. Geological Survey to raise the alert level from orange to red.
The red alert means a major volcanic eruption is underway, which can cause hazardous activity in the air and on the ground.
The volcano began erupting at around 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday, and by Thursday, lava continued to "boil," with the alert level back down to orange.
When lava from Kilauea was measured in the past, it had a temperature reading of over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
A livestream from the volcano showed multiple lava flows and what appeared to be ash in the air. Visitors flocked to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to watch the eruption, despite potential hazards.
With activity now centered in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater on Kilauea's summit, there's no current threat to the public, but volcanic smog could cause air quality concerns.
Kilauea is considered one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
It last erupted in erupted in January and paused on March 7.
In 2018, an eruption of Kilauea destroyed more than 700 homes. The eruption was so powerful it changed the volcano's structure.
"Every 28 hours on average, the ground within the summit caldera of Kilauea sank," the U.S. Geological Survey states.
More than 60,000 earthquakes were reported in the area for a four-month span in 2018 as the volcano continued erupting.
It was considered the largest eruption in centuries.
