Hawaii: spectacular eruption of the Kilauea volcano – Lava jets in 100 meters

Hawaii: spectacular eruption of the Kilauea volcano – Lava jets in 100 meters

Another night of fire at Hawaii: Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes In the world, it exploded again on Tuesday (02.09.2025) at dawn, launching lava jets up to 100 meters from the Halemaoumou crater.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the volcano explosion in Hawaii began shortly after midnight from the northern opening of the crater, before two more fractures were activated in the south and central sections in the morning.

This is the 32nd episode since the current activity began in December 2024. All lava flows that have been observed to date have remained limited within the Hawaiian volcanic park, without immediate risk to residential areas.

The underground mechanism

The USGS explains that under the crater there is a magma chamber that is constantly supplied with melted rock from the earth, at a rate of about 3.8 cubic meters per second. This chamber “swells like a balloon”, as scientists note, and pushes the magma to a higher level, until it finds a way out through thin pipelines on the surface.

This mechanism explains the impressive lava columns recorded regularly, reaching 300 meters in some cases. The phenomenon looks like, as Ken Hon, director of the Hawaiian volcanic observatory in the Guardian, “described Ken Hon,” with champagne shaking before the cork is shaken. “

A volcano with an explosive past

Kilauea has presented similar episodes in the past. For the last 200 years, it is only the fourth time that it has launched repeated lava jets. The previous Great Phase, in 1983, lasted three years with 44 consecutive explosions, before opening a lower rift and continues to exterminate lava almost continuously for 35 years, until 2018.

Two other periods were recorded in 1959 and 1969. Scientists point out that it is impossible to predict whether the current activity will stop soon or whether it will become a perennial cycle, such as those of the past.

Thanks to sensors around the volcano, volcanologists can detect warning signs – microscopes, soil deformities or changes in the inclination – showing when the magma chamber swells or empties. So they are able to predict a few days earlier new explosions.

An unpredictable giant

It is located about 320 kilometers south of Honolulu, on the “Grand Island” of Hawaii, and remains one of the most respected and most unpredictable volcanoes on the planet. His explosions fascinate scientists, but they are concerned about local authorities, who know that the activity can be extended for a long time.

At present, the lava remains trapped in the crater. But the story shows that the situation can change: a new rift at lower altitude could turn the current explosion into a long and destructive phenomenon.

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