Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted in a spectacular display on Friday, as a few lucky onlookers watched molten lava shoot 100 feet into the air. 

Some residents witnessed Kilauea’s 31st eruption of molten rock since December, a fittingly high count for this highly active volcano.

But this is only the fourth time in 200 years that Kilauea has shot lava fountains into the air in repeated episodes. 

The previous episodes were in 1959, 1969 and 1983. 

The north vent at the summit crater started a steady spatter on Friday morning, then a few hours later, lava overflowed, culminating in the afternoon with lava fountains bursting forth.

The eruption was fortunately contained within the summit crater and no homes were threatened. 

Lucky tourists and locals had a front-row view at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. 

Park Service volunteer Janice Wei rushes to get photos and videos of Halemaumau Crater every time she hears that the lava is back. 

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted in a spectacular display on Friday, as a few lucky onlookers watched molten lava shoot 100 feet into the air

Some residents got to see Kilauea’s 31st display of molten rock since December – an appropriately high number for one of the world’s most active volcanoes

‘Every eruption feels like I am sitting in the front row at nature’s most extraordinary show’, Wei said. 

Wei added that when the molten rock shoots high like a foundation it sounds like a roaring jet engine or crashing ocean waves – and she can feel its heat from over a mile away. 

According to native Hawaiian tradition, the crater is the home to the volcano goddess Pele. 

Kilauea is on Hawaii Island, the largest of the Hawaiian archipelago and about 200 miles south of the state’s largest city, Honolulu. 

Ken Hon, the lead scientist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, explained how the explosion happened. 

‘A lower magma chamber under Halemaumau Crater is receiving magma directly from the earth’s interior at about 3.8 cubic metres per second.

‘Magma has been using the same pathway to rise to the surface since December, making the initial release and subsequent episodes all part of the same eruption,’ Hon said. 

Many of these eruptions have featured lava soaring into the air, in some cases more than 1,000 feet. 

Kilauea is on Hawaii Island, the largest of the Hawaiian archipelago and about 200 miles south of the state’s largest city, Honolulu

The fountains are generated in part because magma – which holds gases that are released as it rises – has been traveling to the surface through narrow, pipe-like vents. 

Hon joked: ‘Our job is like being a bunch of ants crawling on an elephant trying to figure out how the elephant works.’ 

Scientists don’t know how the current eruption will end or how it may change. 

In 1983 magma built enough pressure that Kilauea opened a vent at a lower elevation and started continuously leaking lava from there rather than shooting out of a higher elevation. The eruption continued in various forms for three decades and only ended in 2018. 

Something similar could happen again in this current eruption – unless it stops at the summit if its magma supply peters out.  

Scientists are able to estimate a few days or even a week ahead of time when lava is likely to emerge with the help of sensors around the volcano that detect earthquakes and miniscule changes in the angle of the ground, which indicate when magma is inflating or deflating. 

Steve Lundblad, a University of Hawaii geology professor, said that although the lava fountains have been shorter lately, ‘we’re still gonna have spectacular eruptions – they’re just going to be wider and not as high’. 

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane noted that the last several episodes have only lasted about 10 to 12 hours. 

The lava erupting out of Kilauea volcano captured on camera yesterday in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

A screenshot from the US Geological Survey’s video shows the Kilauea volcano spewing lava yesterday

Ferracane advises anyone who wants to go to sign up for US Geological Survey alert notifications because the eruption ‘could be over before you know it’. 

‘Visitors should stay on marked trails and overlooks because unstable cliff edges and cracks in the earth may not be immediately apparent, and falling could lead to serious injury or death. 

‘Volcanic gas, glass and ash can also be dangerous. Nighttime visitors should bring a flashlight’, she added. 

Ferracane’s advice comes after a major rescue operation was launched in June after a tourist plunged off a cliff trying to get ‘a closer look’ at Kilauea erupting. 

The number of tourists flocking to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has risen every month of the year so far – partly because of the eruption. 

In April, for example, there were 49 per cent more visitors than last year in April 2024. 

The American tourist, a 30-year-old man from Boston, fell 30 feet from the Byron Ledge Trail at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and was saved by a tree branch, breaking a 100 foot plummet to the volcano’s caldera. 

The park’s search and rescue team then had to perform a ‘high-angle’ operation that involved cautiously climbing down the cliff and hauling the tourist to safety.  

A photo taken by Janice Wei, a Park Service volunteer, in March shows another lava eruption from Kilauea earlier this year 

Hawaiian officials also warn visitors about the potential health risks that could result from getting too close to eruptions releasing toxic gases.

Volcanic gas and ash can irritate the eyes and respiratory system, and lead to other symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, headaches, difficulty breathing, visual disturbances and tremors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC also notes that long term exposure to these volcanic air pollutants can lead to lung infections such as bronchitis, and respiratory disorders such as lung disease or lung cancer.

Some people may see lava flows as destructive. 

But Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, the executive director of the Edith Kanaka’ole Foundation, said that lava is a natural resource that hardens into land and forms the foundation for everything on Hawaii Island.

Kanahele-Mossman’s nonprofit organisation is named after her grandmother – the esteemed practitioner of Hawaiian language and culture and founder of a noted school. 

Experts warn about the health dangers of getting too close to an eruption, which releases toxic gases

Scientists are unsure when or how the current eruption will end 

Kanahele-Mossman has visited the crater a few times since the eruption began.

While at the crater, she delivers a chant prepared in advance and places offerings. Recently she presented awa, a drink made with kava, and a fern lei.

‘You as the dancer, you are the storyteller and you carry that history that was written in those mele forward’, she said, using the Hawaiian word for song. 

‘To be able to actually see that eruption that’s described in the stories, that’s always exciting to us and drives us and motivates us to stay in this tradition.’