Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spurts lava near summit; part of popular park remains closed

HILO, Hawaii — Small splatters of molten lava have been ejected from Kilauea volcano's Halemaumau Crater for the first time since 1982.

Much of the volcano lies within the popular Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii's Big Island. A section of the park's popular Crater Rim Drive is closed because the volcano also is emitting high levels sulfur dioxide gas that can cause breathing problems. Some hiking trails near the crater also are closed.

Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory say some of the lava — the largest of which measure four inches across — has landed on the rim of the Halemaumau crater. They say geologists have discovered thin strands of volcanic glass known as "Pele's hair" along with small bits of volcanic glass known as "Pele's tears" in a visitors' overlook area. (Pele is an ancient Hawaiian volcano goddess.) Last week, a small explosive eruption from Halemaumau — the first such outburst since 1924 — rained rocks over part of Crater Rim Drive and a parking lot/crater overlook, destroying a wooden guardrail.

Lava continues to flow from other vents of Kilauea, as it has done intermittently for decades at what is one of the world's most active volcanoes. Lava from a vent now is oozing across land to the Pacific Ocean outside the park's boundaries, by the Royal Gardens subdivision on the volcano's east flank. Crowds of locals and tourists have flocked to see that lava flow using a special viewing-access trail opened earlier this month by county/state officials.

New vent at summit

The new lava spurt at Kilauea's summit was described Monday by scientists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. It came from the 100-foot-wide vent that's opened in Halemaumau, which is the main pit crater within what's called the Kilauea caldera (a very large crater) at the volcano's 4,000-foot summit.

The Kilauea caldera — the park's focal point for visitors — is about two miles wide and more than three miles long and is ringed by the park's Crater Rim Drive and viewpoints where visitors can peer hundreds of feet down into the caldera and, before this month's new eruption, also into the Halemaumau crater. While that part of Crater Rim drive is closed, other parts of the road and much of the park remains open. Volcano House, a hotel and restaurant on the edge of the Kilauea caldera, is open as is the park's visitor center and the popular Chain of Craters road that winds down to the sea across older, hardened lava flows.

Scientists say the gas from the new vent at Halemaumau has also turned thick with ash, making the plume from the vent appear brown in recent days. Officials are continuing to monitor the activity and say aviation agencies have been warned that the ash may threaten aircraft in the area. The plume at times rises a mile above ground level.

Within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, officials say these areas are closed until further notice because of sulfur dioxide gas emissions and the possibility of explosive activity from Halemaumau:

• Crater Rim Drive between Kilauea Military Camp south/southeast to Chain of Craters Road. No driving, hiking or bicycling are permitted because of the danger of sulfur dioxide gas emissions. • Crater Rim Trail from Kilauea Military Camp south/southeast to Chain of Craters Road.

• All trails leading to Halemaumau crater are closed including those from Byron Ledge, 'Iliahi (Sandalwood) Trail, and Ka'u Desert Trail.