In the early hours of Monday morning, Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted, causing concerns about potential volcanic ash emissions. The eruption occurred in a remote location within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and was determined to be of low eruptive volume, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The observatory issued a warning around 2 a.m. HST about the possibility of volcanic ash shooting into the atmosphere, posing a threat to planes in the region. However, about six hours later, the eruption was deemed less hazardous, with minor or no ash emissions expected.

The primary hazards associated with the eruption were gas emissions and rock fragments known as tephra, which can be ejected into the air. The activity was confined to the area surrounding Kilauea's summit and the southern part of its caldera, a bowl-shaped depression on the volcano. The eruption began at approximately 12:30 a.m., around 2.5 miles southwest of the caldera.

Webcam images showed a glowing lava flow emanating from fissures in the vicinity, and an aerial image captured by the U.S. Geological Survey during the early morning hours revealed lava shooting up from these fissures.

The release of volcanic gas, including sulfur dioxide, led to the formation of volcanic smog, or vog, which can have adverse effects on air quality and pose health risks to people and plants, as noted by the observatory.

Notably, the last eruption on Kilauea occurred in September 2023, lasting for a week. It is worth mentioning that this recent activity is the first in the area in almost half a century, with the previous eruption taking place in December 1974 and lasting approximately six hours.

The observatory had observed an increase in seismic activity at Kilauea's summit on Sunday, indicating movement of magma beneath the surface. Over an eight-hour period, it recorded around 250 earthquakes beneath the summit region, with the most powerful reaching a magnitude of 4.1.

As of now, it is uncertain how long this latest eruption will continue, and authorities will continue to monitor the situation closely. While the eruption does not pose an immediate threat to human life or critical infrastructure, precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of residents and visitors in the region.

Overall, this latest volcanic activity at Kilauea serves as a reminder of the dynamic nature of Hawaii's landscape and the ongoing monitoring efforts carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey to understand and mitigate potential hazards associated with volcanoes.