Small Explosion in Lava Lake Due to Rockfall at Kilauea Volcano

A large section of a wall along Kilauea volcano’s Halemaumau crater collapsed into a lava lake, triggering a small explosion in the early hours of Friday, December 2.

This video, recorded by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s webcam on the crater rim, shows the explosion.

The incident was the second last week after another slab of the wall along the same crater collapsed on November 28, hurling lava and boulders hundreds of feet into the air, Honolulu Star Adviser reported.

The observatory said the area on the crater rim above the lava lake remained closed to the public due to unpredictable rockfalls and explosions. Credit: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory/United States Geological Survey (USGS) via Storyful