Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano spews lava

The large earthquakes that Hawaii experienced in 1868 and 1975 that caused casualties on the Big Island from tsunami, most of that energy is trapped around the Big Island or heads to the South Pacific, towards South America.

Kilauea volcano erupted new fissures Friday inside Leilani Estates and produced the largest natural disaster in Hawaii since 1975, causing residents across the island to take cover.

The temblor that struck 16 km southwest of Leilani Estates at 12.32 p.m., on Friday, was one of more than 110 earthquakes that hit the island since the Kilauea volcano, one of the world’s most active, erupted on Wednesday, reports CNN.

Residents in Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions, home to about 1700 people, were ordered to evacuate after public works officials reported steam and lava burbling up from cracks in the road, the county’s Civil Defence said.

The new volcanic activity in Mt Kilauea’s lower east rift zone amounted to “vigorous lava spattering”, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, adding that additional outbreaks in the area were likely. “You know, pack a bag and be ready to leave”.

“We were trying to figure out what’s the most important thing to grab”, she said.

The tremors have jarred residents, who’ve been reporting almost constant ground vibrations.

The first strong quake registered as a magnitude of 5.4 and originated at a depth of 4.29 miles on the south flank of Kilauea volcano. Authorities issued mandatory evacuations and warned residents to continue staying out of the area while molten rock continued coming up from the ground in Puna’s Leilani Estates.

Lava was about 1,000 yards from her home, which Woolsey built on a lot purchased for $35,000 11 years ago after living on Maui became too expensive.

Del Toro said she planned to spend much of Friday helping evacuees. Officials did not expect a damaging tsunami. But geologists said the current seismic activities around Puna most closely resemble the events that precipitated a 1955 eruption, according to Hawaii News Now. No significant lava flows have yet formed. But most of the park remains open, according to its statement. Scientists say that the formation of new vents is possible, but there is no way to predict their location.

Neighbors watched as the earth split open and chunks of lava flew into the air when a volcano erupted in Hawaii on Thursday.

Exposure to sulfur dioxide gas can cause irritation or burns, sore throats, runny noses, burning eyes and coughing.

Mr. Purvis drove a van into the threatened subdivisions to help residents flee. “It’s too bad, no one can go in that way, you have to go to the bottom of Leilani and when we got to the bottom of Leilani, they closed the road”.

“You live in Vancouver and a [magnitude] 10 is going to happen one of these days, but you don’t really think it’s going to happen today, or tomorrow even”, said Muir.