Kilauea Volcano Erupts Explosively And Vents Noxious Gas

Kilauea Volcano Erupts Explosively And Vents Noxious Gas

Explosive eruptions and noxious gas emissions at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii this week have prompted scientists to work around the clock to understand what will happen next and how to keep the public out of harm's way.

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At 2:58 a.m. H.s.t on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, a small explosion occurred at Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kilauea Volcano in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. This event was erroneously reported as an earthquake earlier this morning. The explosion scattered debris over an area of about 75 acres (30 hectares), covering a portion of Crater Rim Drive and damaging the Halema‘uma‘u overlook. No lava was erupted as part of the explosion, suggesting that the activity was driven by hydrothermal or gas sources.

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This is the first explosion in Halema`uma`u crater since 1924 and the first eruption of any kind in Kilauea caldera since September 1982.

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Cool stuff.

Kilauea has been erupting since 1983, and this particular crater has had gases venting from it since it started. It was a matter of when, not if it happened. The thing that gets me is that they allow you to just walk right out to the rim of the crater almost and look down into it. This is an ACTIVE VOLCANO and anything can happen. I'm not surprised that it happened in the least.

Is there any information on the activity of this volcano over time and related subduction earthquakes along the pacific rim, like CA. OR or Washington? As some kind of precursor to a coming earthquake?

Ah, the mythical islands of Hawaii. I should go there one last time to take some pictures for future proof that they indeed existed once upon a time.