EXPLAINER: Fountaining Hawaii lava creates molten rock lake

By CALEB JONES
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Kilauea, one of the most active volcanos on Earth, began erupting on Hawaii’s Big Island Wednesday. The eruption is not in an area with homes and is entirely contained within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Officials say increased earthquake activity and ground swelling before the eruption put them on high alert. Fissures then opened in the area and sent lava fountaining into the sky. Now the area has filled with molten rock, creating a lake of lava in the summit crater. The new lava is an expected evolution of a volcano that is recharging after a huge, destructive eruption in 2018 that drained much of its magma.