Continuous volcanic eruption in Hawaii creates new island

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

 The continuous volcanic eruption from Mt Kilauea in Hawaii region creates a tiny new island.

During a routine flyover, a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crew discovered the island, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The agency says that the lava is likely flowing from fissure 8, which opened up May 5 as part of ongoing eruptions near the Kilauea Volcano.

There is another theory is that it is a submarine tumulus, which is created when slow-moving lava pushes Earth’s outermost crust above sea level. The tiny island is roughly 20 to 30 feet in diameter, according to the USGS.

There are hundreds of homes have been destroyed by lava flows from two dozen fissures that began opening up in early May in the Leilani Estates subdivision. According to the USGS, lava continues to flow from fissure 8, but all other fissures were inactive as of Sunday morning.

Mt Kilauea began spewing lava on May 3. The volcano, one of the most active in the world, has already destroyed more than 600 homes and sent magma spewing out along fissures in the eastern Puna region of the island. The crater of the volcanic mountain has also been subsiding. That has caused near-daily earthquakes, rock falls and subsequent explosions at the summit.

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