Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts for 9th time with 330-foot lava fountains

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Hawaii's Kilauea volcano began spewing volcanic activity this week for its 9th time with no injuries or damage reported.

On Tuesday, Kilauea began its 9th volcanic episode at approximately 10:16 a.m. HST, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

One of the world's most active volcanoes, Kilauea has seen eruptions off-and-on for nearly two months since Dec. 23.

Meanwhile, lava fountains reached 16-200 feet high by early Wednesday morning, officials said. The USGS released a livestream of the ongoing activity.

Its "episode 9" took place on the big Hawaii Island and was preceded by small, sporadic spatter fountains that began early Monday morning and increased in intensity overnight.

No current threat remains to residents or structures, according to officials.

A July 2018 eruption destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings with only a small number of injuries when it began activity just a few months prior in May.

This fresh event occurred at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park within a closed area nearly 200 miles southeast of Honolulu.

Lava fountains from its north vent were estimated to be roughly 330 feet high by 10:45 a.m. HST and covered roughly a quarter of the Halema'uma'u crater floor. It saw a "slow effusion" of lava by 10:50 a.m. HST at its south vent.

The word Kilauea in the Hawaiian language means "spewing" or "much spreading."

Each volcanic episode of Halema'uma'u since December has lasted from 13 hours to 8 days. And each one was separated by pauses which lasted 24 hours to 12 days.

Kilauea erupted for its third time in September 2023, when fountains from the Halema'uma'u crater were estimated to be about 165 feet.

However, "high levels" of volcanic gas including primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide were "the primary hazard of concern" for this new round, according to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory officials.

"Current hazards include volcanic gas emissions and windblown volcanic glass (Pele's Hair) that may impact Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and nearby communities," the U.S. Geological Survey's HVO wrote in a statement.

Kilauea erupted for its third time in September 2023 where fountains from the Halema'uma'u crater were estimated to be about 165 feet.

The "big island" of Hawaii saw two volcano eruptions simultaneously in November 2022 for the first time since 1984 when Kilauea and its neighboring Mauna Loa -- the largest active volcano in the world -- both erupted which saw Mauna Loa do so for the first time in 38 years.