A striking new aerial video shows Hawaii’s giant Mauna Loa volcano spewing huge streams of lava.
The world’s largest active volcano began erupting for the first time in nearly 40 years on Sunday.
The video recorded from a helicopter shows fountains of lava shooting out of the volcano, producing massive smoke clouds.
The volcano has not caused any major damage or injuries. It has also not forced any evacuations at this time.
The nearby Kīlauea volcano is also spewing lava, as it has been erupting since last September.
While the volcano hasn’t caused damage to any homes, officials warned about poor air quality from smoke and ash clouds.
The 13,000-foot volcano erupted at 11:30 p.m. local time Sunday and while emergency crews have been standing by, it has not caused any evacuations so far.
The US Geological Survey said that since its eruption, the lava flow has been “confined within the caldera walls,” but if it spreads outside the volcano’s summit caldera “lava flows may move rapidly downslope.”
A caldera “is a large depression formed when a volcano erupts and collapses,” according to National Geographic.
Residents at risk from Mauna Loa were warned to review preparedness guides and refer to Hawaii County Civil Defense information for any further guidance.
Ken Hon, the scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said that “typically, Mauna Loa eruptions start off with the heaviest volume first.
“After a few days, it starts to calm down a little bit,” he said.
During a 1950 eruption, lava from the volcano traveled 15 miles to the ocean in less than three hours.
