Energy News
SHAKE AND BLOW
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano puts on spectacular lava display

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano puts on spectacular lava display

by AFP Staff Writers
Los Angeles, United States (AFP) Jan 12, 2026
Hawaii's Kilauea was spraying a spectacular fountain of lava on Monday, keeping up its reputation as one of the world's most active volcanoes.

For over a year now, Kilauea has been regularly throwing out thousands of tonnes of molten rock and gases since it burst to life in December 2024.

Volcanologists with the US Geological Survey said the incandescent lava was being hurled more than 1,500 feet (460 meters) into the air, with plumes of smoke and gases rising as high as 20,000 feet (six kilometers).

Eruptions such as this one tend to last around one day, the USGS said, but can still vent up to 100,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide.

This gas reacts in the atmosphere to create a visible haze known as vog -- volcanic smog -- which can cause respiratory and other problems.

Tiny slivers of volcanic glass, known as "Pele's hair," are also being thrown into the air.

Named after Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, the strands can be very sharp and can cause irritation to the skin and eyes.

The eruption poses no immediate danger to any human settlement, with the caldera having been closed to the public for almost two decades.

Kilauea has been very active since 1983 and erupts relatively regularly.

It is one of six active volcanoes located in the Hawaiian Islands, which also include Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world.

Kilauea is much smaller than neighboring Mauna Loa, but it is far more active and regularly wows helicopter-riding tourists who come to see its red-hot shows.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SHAKE AND BLOW
Hunga eruption reshaped stratospheric water and ozone with limited climate cooling
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 05, 2026
A new international assessment details how the January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano in the South Pacific altered the stratosphere, atmospheric chemistry, and radiation while having only a small impact on global surface climate and the Antarctic ozone hole. The Hunga Volcanic Eruption Atmospheric Impacts Report, released under the Atmospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (APARC) project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), which is co-sponsored by the Worl ... read more

SHAKE AND BLOW
Beer yeast waste could provide scaffold for cultivated meat production

Garden and farm waste targeted as feedstock for new bioplastics

Biochar layer boosts hydrogen rich gas yields from corn straw

Carbon monoxide enables rapid atomic scale control for fuel cell catalysts

SHAKE AND BLOW
Hebrew University team develops flexible color tunable solar window technology

Theory links photon condensation and heat engine physics

SwRI tests rooftop solar fire behavior and mitigation options

Game theory study maps pathways for rural solar prosumers in China

SHAKE AND BLOW
Trump gets wrong country, wrong bird in windmill rant

S.Africa seeks to save birds from wind turbine risks

Vertical wind turbines may soon power UK railways using tunnel airflow

SHAKE AND BLOW
Chinese villagers struggle for heat as gas subsidies fade

Understanding ammonia energy's tradeoffs around the world

Cold winter and AI boom pushed US emissions increase in 2025

France climate goals off track as emissions cuts slow again

SHAKE AND BLOW
Volvo Cars pauses battery factory after fruitless partner search

Perovskite betavoltaic cell sets record efficiency using carbon 14 source

Lithium ion battery study on Tiangong space station explores microgravity effects on performance

China ramps up CHSN01 fusion magnet jacket for cryogenic reactors

SHAKE AND BLOW
Corn cob biochar filters pull ammonia and micro and nanoplastics from water

Albania's waste-choked rivers worsen deadly floods

Smart biochar sorbents target persistent pollutants in complex water streams

Sunlight driven microplastic leaching reshapes dissolved pollution in water

SHAKE AND BLOW
Chinese villagers struggle for heat as gas subsidies fade

Delta and beach bar sand bodies offer new framework for buried shoreline reservoirs

Orbital cycles control Jurassic shale oil sweet spots in Sichuan Basin

Polymer nanoparticles drive platinum free solar hydrogen

SHAKE AND BLOW
The electrifying science behind Martian dust

Sandblasting winds sculpt Mars landscape

Thin ice may have protected lake water on frozen Mars

Curiosity's Nevado Sajama postcard captures Mars on the eve of conjunction

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.