Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano spews lava fountains as lake of molten rock lights up night, video shows

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Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano spews lava into molten lake

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano glowed at night as spewing lava fountains fed a lake of molten rock early Tuesday. (Credit: U.S. Geological Survey)

Lava fountains spewing from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano were captured on video lighting up the night after the volcano erupted on Sunday for the fifth time in almost four years.

The U.S. Geological Survey shared video early Tuesday showing the spurting lava feeding a lake of molten rock in its summit crater at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. 

The latest eruption of Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, began Sunday afternoon after a pause of two months.

The National Park Service (NPS) urged visitors to “stay safe and be respectful of the hazards and sacredness of Kilauea” when viewing the eruption.

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A visitor quietly observes lava fountains feeding the lava lake from Kīlauea Overlook. (National Park Service/J. Ferracane)

While the Keanakākoʻi viewing area is closed due to high concentrations of sulfur dioxide and volcanic particulates, NPS said that optimal viewing of the lava lake and fountains was at Uēkahuna, Kīlauea Overlook and areas along Crater Rim Trail, noting that conditions can change at any time.

In this screen grab from webcam video provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, erupts in Hawaii, early Monday. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)

The alert level on Kilauea was downgraded Monday with no infrastructure threatened and no threat of significant ash emission into the atmosphere outside a limited area within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

ALERT LEVEL FOR HAWAII’S KILAUEA VOLCANO GETS DOWNGRADED FOLLOWING 3RD ERUPTION THIS YEAR

Later Monday, state health officials said the eruption brought vog, volcanic smog, to some parts of the Big Island, causing poor air quality. The vog is created by vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide gas released from Kilauea.

In this screen grab from webcam video provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, Kilauea continues to erupt in Hawaii on Monday. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)

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In June, Kilauea erupted for several weeks, displaying fountains of red lava without threatening any communities or structures. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.