Getty Image / U.S. Geological Survey
The East Rift Zone of Hawaii’s Big Island has been under an onslaught from Mother Nature over the weekend. On Friday, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit after a volcano began erupting, the most powerful earthquake in Hawaii since 1975. At least 26 homes have been destroyed by lava so far, and first responders are evacuating people while grappling with high levels of toxic gas in the air.
Footage of the lava erupting from volcanic vents in the Kilauea volcano’s rift zone has captivated the world media because it looks more like something you’d expect to see from Hollywood than an eruption taking place on Hawaii, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Here’s an overhead view shot from a helicopter which shows the lava spreading:
https://twitter.com/casspa/status/993282944973275136
Here’s a close-up look at how insane these lava emissions are from the volcanic vents in Kilauea volcano’s rift zone:
These lava eruptions have released toxic levels of sulfur dioxide into the air which is particularly harmful to children and the elderly and is a huge factor in why they’ve evacuated the area. The vents began to slow down on Saturday but a representative from the Hawaii County Civil Defense is pretty certain that they’re not done with this eruption yet.