Video shows 'lavanado' erupt at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano: 'Biggest one I've seen'
Video shows 'lavanado' erupt at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano: 'Biggest one I've seen'
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Watch: 'Lavanado' form at Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano
Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii's Big Island is erupting again. One man captured lava spinning into the air, calling it 'lavanado.'
As the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupted again last week, lava was captured spinning into the air like a dust devil, creating a "lavanado."
Stunning video footage captured by Scott Malis on Feb. 26 during the volcano's 11th episode shows lava spewing out of the volcano and spinning into the air, creating what Malis said was a "lavanado." Malis told USA TODAY the rare occurrence took place around 4 a.m. and lasted for about five minutes.
"The heat from the from the lava mixes with the cool air on the mountain and (creates) a tornado like action, like the funnel cloud," Malis said.
What is a lavanado?
The U.S. Geological Survey describes lavanado as a wind vortex within the caldera, a large depression formed by the collapse of a volcano's central part after an eruption.
The video of the lavanado was captured during episode 11 of the ongoing summit eruption at Kilauea, which began on Feb. 25 around 6:22 p.m. local time and ended the next morning around 7:06 a.m. local time, according to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. The observatory said fountains of the eruptions reached peak heights of around 600 feet.
Malis, who has lived on the island for more than 15 years, said he visits the national park to see volcanic activity "all the time," and witnessed seven of the 12 episodes of the ongoing summit eruption. However, episode 11 was "definitely by far the biggest one I've seen," Malis said, adding it was immensely fascinating.
"Number 11 was my favorite one yet," Malis said. "It's very rare to see one that defined."
Malis said he has previously seen a "really small version of a tornado" over a lava but "never saw one that made the funnel cloud all the way up to the sky."
When did the Kilauea volcano start erupting?
Located on Hawaii's Big Island, the Kilauea volcano began erupting in the early hours of Dec. 23, 2024, with pauses in between. It completed its 12th episode Tuesday morning, after 22 hours of continuous, eruptive activity, the volcano observatory said.
Kilauea sits along the southeastern shore of the Island of Hawaii within the Volcanoes National Park, which includes the summits of two of the world's most active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa, and is a popular tourist destination.
See where lava is flowing: Volcanoes are erupting all over the world
Since December, each episode has lasted from hours to several days, and periods of inactivity in between have lasted hours to 12 days, according to the USGS.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
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