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Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Eruption Creates 600-Foot-Deep Lava Lake

by Nicole Werbeck

Crews observe the continuing eruption in Halema'uma'u at Kilauea in the early morning of Dec. 28. Overnight, the western vent in the wall of Halema'uma'u continued to erupt.
Crews observe the continuing eruption in Halema'uma'u at Kilauea in the early morning of Dec. 28. Overnight, the western vent in the wall of Halema'uma'u continued to erupt. D. Downs / USGS

On Hawaii's Big Island, Kilauea volcano erupted Dec. 20 for the first time in more than two years.

Lava spewed from a fissure in the northwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and cascaded into the deepest part of the crater, boiling away a water lake. There's now a growing lava lake, nearly 600 feet deep.

The U.S. Geological Survey has been documenting the eruption. Here, in photos and video, is how Kilauea's newest eruption is continuing — and changing the landscape.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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