Kilauea, the monstrous active
volcano on the island of
Hawaii, has sparked major eruption fears after a striking photograph of a 70ft tall lava bubble has surfaced online.
A photograph of the 70ft tall dome of pure molten rock appeared on Twitter amid concerns the active volcano stood on the brink of eruption.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), which tweeted out the photograph, said such volcanic phenomena are incredibly rare.
Public reactions to the image have ranged from awe to fear, heightening the sense of dread the volcano is erupting.
Thankfully the USGS revealed the photo was actually taken decades ago in October 1969.
The volcanology agency tweeted: “Dome fountain of episode 10, October 10–13, 1969, eruption of Kilauea Volcano.
“This dome fountain is about 20 m (65 ft) high. Symmetrical dome fountains such as this are rare.”
But the threat of violent eruption still remains because Kilauea is currently under an Orange Alert.
Kilauea Volcano is the youngest but also the most active of volcanoes across the five Hawaiian islands.
Located on the southeastern edge of Hawaii Island, the active shield volcano is believed to have emerged from the sea about 100,000 years ago.
The USGS reported on Thursday April 5, an active flow of lava on the crater floor below one of its cones.
The agency said: “Eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano's summit and East Rift Zone continue.
“The depth to the lava lake surface within the Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook vent was 26 m (85 ft) beneath the adjacent crater floor this morning.
“Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone has been inflating and has an active lava flow on the crater floor.”
At the moment there is no active lava on the coastal plain or dripping into the ocean but “low rates of deformation and seismicity” are being recorded.
The USGS added: “Though inactive at present, the 2016-2017 lava delta remains potentially unstable, and collapse of some or all of the delta without warning is possible.
“In several instances, collapses have also incorporated parts of the older sea cliff.
“Explosions of rocky debris remain possible should collapses suddenly expose the hot interior of the inactive lava delta.”
Kilauea is typical example of a broad shield-shaped volcano, one which was built by successive eruptions of low-silica lava.
Since 1823 the volcano’s summit caldera has been slowly and consistently filling with lava flows at a depth of around 120m (400ft).
The ongoing eruption cycle observed at Kilauea began on January 3 1983, which at the time destroyed 16 homes and saw lava spread to the nearby Royal Gardens subdivision.
Kilauea has been constantly erupting ever since.