Kilauea volcano In Hawaii, the eruption began on Monday after a three-month break, the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS) said.

Kilauea’s eruption began around 2:30 a.m. local time at the base of Halemaumau Crater in the summit caldera after increased seismic activity was detected overnight, the USGS said.

Officials said the “dynamic” volcanic activity is currently confined to the summit caldera.

Webcam images showed lava fountains up to 262 feet high containing molten material, including lava bombs, ejected from vents at the bottom of the caldera.

About four hours later, at around 6:30 a.m. local time, the eruption in the crater had “stabilized” and there were no immediate threats to the infrastructure.

Ken Hon, the USGS lead scientist in Hawaii, told CBS affiliate KGMB that it was a “pretty rapid onset of one of these eruptions,” adding that it was the fifth eruption at Kilauea since December 2020.

“There are some very large fountains in the southwest corner of Halemaumau Crater, which is in the southern half of Kaluapele, or in the summit caldera of Kilauea Volcano up here and near the entrance to Volcanoes National Park,” he added.

The USGS said the main concern was high levels of volcanic gas – primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide – which could have “widespread downwind impacts.”

“The plume of volcanic gas and fine volcanic particles reaches heights of 6,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level (2,000 to 4,000 feet above ground level) and winds transport it southwest, within the closed area of ​​Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park,” the USGS said.

They said the risks would be reassessed as the outbreak progressed.

The last eruption on Kilauea was in June 2024 and lasted about five days. According to the US Geological Survey, the volcano also erupted in September 2023 and lasted for a week.

It was unclear how long the eruption would last Monday.

Sen. Joe Manchin says he believes Senate won’t ‘break up the filibuster’

How Israel’s Mossad Tricked Hezbollah into Buying Explosive Pagers | 60 minutes

Watch: Luigi Mangione’s lawyer speaks in court during the arraignment