Hawaii’s Kīlauea Volcano continues to belch ash and molten rock since it first erupted in May, and the constant lava flows have created a tiny peninsula off the northern edge of the U.S. state.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a tiny island appeared July 12, just a few metres off the shoreline.
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“During this morning’s overflight, HVO’s (Hawaii Volcano Observatory) field crew noticed the island was oozing lava similar to the lava oozing from the broad flow front along the coastline,” the USGS noted.
The agency said the lava island is about six to nine metres in diameter and likely formed as a result of a lava flow that has reached the ocean and possibly an underwater tumulus, a submarine lava flow that’s pushed to the surface as result of underwater pressure.
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On Monday, Hawaii News Now reported the new tiny island was now a peninsula, as the island had connected itself back to the rest of Hawaii’s land mass.
Officials continue to warn Kīlauea Volcano remains very active. An explosion caused by lava oozing into the ocean sent molten rock crashing through the roof of a sightseeing boat off Big Island, injuring 23 people Monday, officials said.
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They were aboard a tour boat that takes visitors to see lava plunging into the ocean from a long-erupting volcano that has been vigorously shooting lava from a new vent in the ground for the past two months. The lava punctured the boat’s roof, leaving a gaping hole, firefighters said.
Since May’s eruption, lava has destroyed over 700 homes, as new fissures form in residential neighbourhoods.
The USGS records large earthquake and explosions at the summit volcano on a near daily basis. Early Tuesday morning, a “collapse explosion event,” which was an equivalent to a 5.3-magnitude earthquake, USGS reported.
The agency said the explosion caused an increase in the lava flow, threatening homes in the Nohea neighbourhood.