(BIVN) – Episode 32 in the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea volcano on Hawaii island got underway on Tuesday morning with a whirlwind of activity at the summit caldera. 

Early morning windshear and convection provided the perfect conditions for creating rotating tornado-like vortices of volcanic ash and dust. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory noted these funnels are similar to dust devils seen in the desert.

The vortices could be seen, carrying volcanic pumice fragments up to 1,000 feet into the air. The Observatory compared the swirling material to swarms of angry bees. 

USGS: “USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists documented episode 32 of Kīlauea’s ongoing summit eruption from the Kīlauea Overlook within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. There, tephra from the lava fountain was visibly lofted high into the air by buoyant degassing during the eruption.” (USGS photo by C. Cauley)

Like the previous episode, the lava fountain was once again inclined, reaching heights of up to 500 feet, or 150 meters. 

The activity picked up quickly on Tuesday morning, when occasional lava overflows from the north vent became continuous at 5:31 a.m. HST. Tilt-meters recorded approximately 19.3 microradians of inflationary tilt since the end of episode 31. As of yesterday, forecasting models suggested the window for this activity to take place would be later in the week, sometime between Wednesday and Friday.  

Just after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the middle vent became active, followed by the south vent, creating three lava flows on the crater floor. 

The USGS Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea is at WATCH, and the Aviation Color Code is ORANGE. All activity is currently confined to the summit caldera within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.