Tag: volcano

Hawaii volcanic smog blankets Marshall Islands

  MAJURO, Marshall Islands (AFP) — Haze from the Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii blanketed the Marshall Islands 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) away on Sunday, as officials warned it would continue moving west. The haze, a phenomenon known as “vog” or volcanic smog, “is spreading across Micronesia,” the US National Weather Service based in Guam said. The volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island is now in its fourth week of eruptions. Meteorologists advised residents on the […]

Watch: Timelapse – Observatory captures Hawaii volcano eruption

(Timelapse images from the Gemini telescope showing lightning and ash cloud at summit of the Kilauea volcano in Hawai)   Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit early Thursday, shooting a huge plume of ash miles into the sky and prompting authorities to urge area residents to take cover. The Hawaii Volcano Observatory said the explosion within Kilauea’s Halemaumau crater had produced a volcanic cloud that reached as high as 30,000 feet (9,000 meters) and […]

Dangerous ‘laze’ forms as Hawaii volcano lava reaches ocean

  LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Authorities in Hawaii have warned of dangerous “laze” fumes as molten lava from the erupting Kilauea volcano reached the Pacific Ocean. Two lava flows “reached the ocean along the southeast Puna coast overnight,” on Hawaii’s Big Island, the US Geological Survey, which monitors volcanoes and earthquakes worldwide, said in a statement Sunday. A crack however opened in the ground under one of the lava channels, “diverting the lava… […]

Vanuatu to permanently evacuate volcanic island

  PORT VILA, Vanuatu (AFP) — Entire communities living under the shadow of a smouldering volcano on an island in Vanuatu will be permanently relocated to another island from next week, the Pacific nation’s government has decided. Most villagers on the northern island of Ambae had only recently returned home. The 11,000 people on the island were forced to leave last September when the Manaro volcano erupted. The latest evacuation is not compulsory but the […]

Helicopters rescue residents after fresh Hawaii volcano lava flow

  Helicopters were rushed in to rescue four trapped residents after lava flowing from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano isolated a cluster of homes, local officials said late Friday, one day after the volcano erupted and shot a huge plume of ash miles (kilometers) into the sky. Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim wrote on Twitter that “fast moving lava from Fissure 20 has crossed Pohoiki Rd near Malama Ki Place,” near the Puna forest reserve. The lava […]

DFA monitoring Kilauea volcano in Hawaii

  (Eagle News)—The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was closely monitoring the Kilauea volcano, after the United States Geological Survey issued a red alert. “The Philippine Consulate General is in touch with representatives of the Hawaii County.., Consul General Joselito Jimeno said in a statement on Saturday, May 19. So far though, Jimeno said that no Filipino of the 15000 on the island has  been affected. Jimeno said he also talked to Hawaii Governor […]

Red alert raised after ash bursts from Hawaii volcano

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A massive plume of volcanic ash burst from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano on Tuesday, prompting authorities to issue warnings about air quality and the likelihood of a major eruption. The Hawaiian County Civil Defense Agency said rock falls and gas explosions from one of the craters on Kilauea had caused the ash plume which was drifting downwind to the southwest. Authorities said the ash cloud was as high as 10,000 […]

New fissures from Hawaii volcano, more eruptions feared

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Two new fissures have opened on Hawaii’s Big Island, officials said on Monday, warning of more lava eruptions and gas emissions from the Kilauea volcano. Authorities said the two new cracks were spotted in the Lanipuna Gardens neighborhood where residents were ordered to evacuate earlier this month after the volcano erupted and two major earthquakes rattled the island. “This morning, activity is dominated by lava fountaining, the explosion of […]

Indonesian volcano erupts, sparking evacuations

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian villagers living in the shadow of one of the world’s most active volcanoes fled to safety Friday as the crater erupted, sending a cascade of ash and smoke some 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) into the sky. The government ordered residents living within a five-kilometer (three-mile) radius of Mount Merapi on Java island to leave as ash covered surrounding communities and even reached parts of Yogyakarta, Indonesia’s cultural capital some 30 […]

New Zealand sinkhole reveals glimpse into 60,000-year-old volcano

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — A new sinkhole on a North Island farm as deep as four double-decker buses and almost the length of two football fields has grabbed the attention of New Zealand volcanologists. The chasm appeared after heavy rainfall near the town of Rotorua and left a jagged scar on the landscape, exposing rock deposits from 60,000 years ago. Experts believe rain dissolved underground limestone over thousands of years, eventually causing the ground to […]

New fissures open up near Hawaiian volcano as danger persists

LEILANI ESTATES, Hawaii (AFP) — The Kilauea volcano, the most active in Hawaii, was highly unstable Sunday as lava spouted into the air and fissures emitted deadly gases — hazards that have forced thousands of people to evacuate. Eight fissures have opened so far, the most recent one late Saturday, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported at 9:40 GMT on Sunday. All are in or near Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens areas, where over 1,500 residents […]