I’m angrier than a Hawaiian who moved too close to a volcano without insurance, because nothing exciting like this happens around here!
Earlier today, at 2:11 a.m. local time (7:11 a.m. on the east coast), Mount Kiluea erupted, something it hasn’t done some 1974. The United States Geological Survey issued its highest possible alert. The photo to the left shows Kiluea erupting on Sunday, June 19, 1983.
Kiluea had some minor activity over the past few months, but that activity ceased. That is, of course, until this morning. The last time it erupted, I wasn’t even born yet, and I’m old. So that tells you how quiet the volcano was, up to this point. The volcano was still erupting as of the time this article was written, and authorities couldn’t say with any degree of certainty when the eruption would stop.
The USGS reported that the eruption started at 2:11 a.m. Hawaiian time, but media outlets are reporting that it happened at 12:30 a.m., so there appears to be conflict in the information. Ah, yes, Volcanic Eruptions. It was a nightclub I went to in my younger years, back when I was interested in hooking up with random girls. But that’s neither here nor there.
As for the volcano, it is around 210,000 years old. It is among the most powerful volcanos in the world. Apart from that, it doesn’t seem to be anything to write home about, except for today, when a potentially dangerous eruption likely scared the hell out of the locals.
So will things get worse before they get better or will it die down with time? The experts don’t seem to know, so anything can happen here.
(Photo credit: G.E. Ulrich, USGS, public domain)