"Explosion-like" quakes, lava fountains create spectacular views for visitors to Hawaii's Big Island.
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano produced a sudden increase in activity that created a mild tremor and sent lava shooting 45 feet into the sky from one vent.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that the tremor registered a magnitude of 3.0, and was followed by the normally incandescent Halemaumau vent going dark for several minutes.
A surface flow of lava has been clearly visible snaking eastward from the crater, while underground “tubes” have expelled lava into the ocean.
Geologists believe the recent breakouts of lava have been due to increased gas pressure in Kilauea’s extensive underground lava tube system.
Kilauea has been erupting continuously since January 3, 1983, sending lava from the Puu 'Oo cone through that intricate network of tubes into the Pacific Ocean along the Big Island's southern coast.
Video: USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
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