Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano could keep erupting for months. Here’s why.

Hawaii’s young, lively Kilauea volcano shows no signs of slowing down. 

On May 4, the first lava-swollen fissure opened up in the Leilani Estates neighborhood on the eastern flank of Kilauea. Soon after, 16 more fissures opened in the area. 

Meanwhile, near the volcano’s gently-sloping summit, a lava lake recently brimming with steaming molten rock has since drained, an event government scientists now say could trigger a rare explosive blast from the ominous pit, shooting boulders some 10 tons (or more) into the area.

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