Maunaloa remains steady, geologists encourage vigilance

Lava is shooting up to 200-feet in the air as the Maunaloa eruption continues on Hawaiʻi Island.

Currently, no homes or communities are threatened by the lava flows, but the U.S. Geological Survey says the current lava flow is about 6-miles away from Saddle Road, a highway that stretches from Maunaloa to Maunakea.

The eruption started Sunday night in the Mokuʻāweoweo caldera on the summit of the world’s largest active volcano. At last check, only the lowest fissure on the Northeast slope is currently active.

The Conversation’s Russell Subiono talked with USGS geologist Katie Mulliken to get the latest.

Mulliken says there is still a visible gas plume from this eruption that can be seen from around the island.