Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, one of the most active in the world, is erupting again, prompting a volcano watch alert in surrounding areas, according to officials.
The eruption is occurring within a remote area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
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Lava began flowing from a new fissure vent that opened from east to west within the volcano’s Nāpau Crater early Tuesday morning, the USGS said.
Several lava fountains about 32 feet high and pools of lava on the floor of the crater were observed by helicopters flying over the eruption Tuesday morning.
A separate fissure west of the Nāpau Crater began emitting lava on Monday, stopping after a few hours and then resuming activity later that evening, according to the USGS, which also noted that the eruption was preceded by a sequence of below-ground earthquakes.