Watch the incredible moment a cliff collapses above a massive 'firehose of lava' flowing from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano into the sea

Molten lava from Kilauea volcano in Hawaii is dumping directly into the Pacific
Massive lava stream is roughly 1-2 meters wide, spewing as a 'single large spout'
This creates dangerous explosions as the hot lava interacts with the cool sea

By Mark Prigg and Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.com

Published: 18:40 EST, 3 February 2017 | Updated: 19:10 EST, 3 February 2017

e-mail

View
comments

A section of sea cliff above a massive 'firehose' lava flow on Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano has collapsed and splashed into the ocean as tourists and geologists watched.

A large crack in the section of cliff above the gushing molten lava stream gave way Thursday afternoon as scientists stood just yards away.

Geologists with Hawaii Volcano Observatory were at the site to monitor the crack when it collapsed, and managed to capture the scene on video.

Scroll down for video

KILAUEA VOLCANO

It's thought that the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii formed anywhere from 300,000-600,000 years ago.

And, it has been active ever since, according to the US Geological Survey.

It erupts from three main areas, the summit and two rift zones, and most of these events are 'relatively gentle.'

But, not always.

'Every few decades to centuries, however, powerful explosions spread ejecta across the landscape,' according to the USGS's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

'Such explosions can be lethal, as the one in 1790 that killed scores of people in a war party near the summit of Kilauea.'

Later in the day, a tour boat was cruising by when another section of the cliff collapsed.

Video shows guests gasping and screaming as the huge piece of land splashes down in front of them, sending debris high into the air.

The collapse stopped the heavy stream of lava that had been arching out from near the top of the cliffs for weeks.

The lava stream, dubbed a 'firehose' flow because it shoots lava outward from the source like water from a hose, had recently increased in intensity.

The massive Kilauea flow came from a lava tube at the Kamokuna ocean entry on the southeast side of the Big Island.

The lava was gushing from a tube that was exposed when a huge, 26-acre lava rock delta collapsed into the ocean at the site on New Year's Eve.

That collapse triggered massive explosions and giant waves in the area.

The USGS warned that a portion of unstable cliff may still be attached and could break off at any time.

'This collapse yesterday did not diminish the hazards,' said USGS geologist Janet Babb on Friday.

'As long as lava continues to flow into the ocean, that area is still quite hazardous... there's still potential for collapses of the sea cliff there.'

In this combination of Feb. 2, 2017 images provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, a section of sea cliff, top, falls into the ocean above a 'firehose' lava stream in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Another portion of cracked, unstable land is shown after the collapse, bottom.

When the molten lava hits the cool seawater, it reacts and causes explosions that can throw large chunks of hot rock and debris inland, where tourists hike in to see the lava, and seaward, where tour boats cruise the shoreline.

The gasses released from the reaction are also dangerous to breathe, and shards of volcanic glass can be thrown into the air when the hot lava meets the cool seawater.

A large crack in the section of cliff above the gushing molten lava stream gave way Thursday afternoon as scientists stood just yards away.

In this thermal image, the lava flow can clearly be seen

The National Park Service has set up a designated viewing area far from the flow where visitors can safely view the lava.

But some people cross lines and venture into closed, dangerous areas, officials said.

The Kilauea volcano is spewing molten lava into the Pacific Ocean, spurring explosions that launch debris to twice the height of the sea cliff.

Researchers have been tracking the giant tracks in the volcanic area for weeks, and saw cracks getting wider this week

Footage captured by the USGS's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reveals the remarkable volcanic 'firehose' in action as it produces dangerous blasts, creating 'hazardous conditions on land and at sea.'

Upon a careful examination of the 'unstable sea cliff' this past weekend, researchers discovered a hot crack just above the site where the lava is flowing out, with temperatures as high as 428 degrees Fahrenheit.

The massive lava stream is roughly 1-2 meters wide and has been continuously pouring molten lava directly into the water at the Kamokuna ocean entry, according to the US Geological Survey.

It's recently begin to flow from the lava tube as a 'single large spout,' causing pulsating blasts of molten fragments.

'At Kilauea's ocean entry on Jan 28 and 29, the interaction of molten lava flowing into cool seawater caused pulsating littoral explosions that threw spatter (fragments of molten lava) high into the air,' the USGS HVO explains.

Footage captured by the USGS's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reveals the remarkable volcanic 'firehose' in action as it produces dangerous blasts, creating 'hazardous conditions on land and at sea'

In this photo provided by Shane Turpin, a 'firehose' lava stream from Kilauea Volcano shoots out from a sea cliff on Hawaii's Big Island as seen from a tour boat off the coast

'Some of these incandescent clasts fell on top of the sea cliff behind the ocean entry, forming a small spatter cone. During one exceptionally large burst, spatter as thrown about twice the height of the sea cliff.

'These ocean entry littoral explosions, both large and small create hazardous conditions on land and at sea.'

The massive lava stream is roughly 1-2 meters wide and has been continuously pouring molten lava directly into the water at the Kamokuna ocean entry, according to the US Geological Survey

With the discovery of a hot ground crack in the sea cliff overhead, the site is considered to be extremely unstable.

But, geologists set out for a closer investigation on foot January 28 wearing protective gear.

The team found that the eastern end of the crack is roughly 11.8 inches (30 cm) wide, and 'deeply cut into recent lava atop the older sea cliff.'

They were unable to access the western end as a result of numerous safety concerns, including poor air quality and the unstable ground.

'This crack could be a precursor to collapse of an unstable section fo the sea cliff, making the site extremely dangerous for anyone who ventures too closely to the ocean entry by land or by sea,' the USGS explains.

Thermal imaging has revealed that the hot crack reaches 428 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius) in the eastern end.

The lava flow streaming below continued on at a somewhat steady rate across last week, occasionally appearing wider and with holes in the sheet.

'Some of these incandescent clasts fell on top of the sea cliff behind the ocean entry, forming a small spatter cone,' the USGS wrote. 'During one exceptionally large burst, spatter as thrown about twice the height of the sea cliff.'