Mesmerizing Video Captures Waterfall of Lava Spewing From Volcano

Waterfalls of glowing, bright orange lava have been captured spewing out of one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

The footage, shared by the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, shows lava flowing from Kīlauea—a volcano that has been erupting since June 7.

Kīlauea sits along the southeastern shore of Hawaii's Big Island. It is believed to be between the 210,000 and 280,000 years old, having emerged from the sea about 100,000 years ago.

The footage, taken on June 10, a few days into the eruption, shows lava flowing from all sides of the Halema'uma'u crater, "seemingly forming a cone."

Fountains can be seen sputtering at the top, tumbling down its flanks and a lake of lava can be seen at the bottom of the crater.

"It has been remarkable to see this feature evolve from a 'waterfall' of lava to what we see now," the Hawaii Volcanoes National Parks said in a Facebook post.

At the time the footage was taken, multiple fountains were active on the southwestern Halema'uma'u crater floor. The volcano's vent on the southwest wall of the caldera, the large depression formed when a volcano erupts and collapses, was also continuing "to feed lava onto the westernmost part of the crater floor."

When the eruption first started, some lava fountains were reaching 50 feet high, according to an update from the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. Some bursts even reached 200 feet.

However, since then, heights have decreased. By June 10, lava fountain heights were reaching around 30 feet.

It is normal for Kīlauea to erupt regularly, its last eruption having occurred in January this year. The current eruption is confined to a closed off area of the Hawaii National Park. Kīlauea's eruptions do not usually pose much danger to surrounding communities, however, it has been extremely destructive in the past.

There was a particularly devastating eruption in 2018 that forever changed the island and its communities.

During this eruption, the volcano spewed large lava flows throughout the Puna District, destroying hundreds of homes from May through August.

The volcano also caused tens of thousands of earthquakes, which drastically changed the summit area of the national park.

The Kīlauea caldera collapsed during this eruption and since December 2020, several eruptions have caused the collapsed area to fill with lava lakes.

Scientists are monitoring the current eruption. Those interested can view it in real time through webcams being set up by the U.S. Geological Survey.

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