The USGS said the eruption was noticed just before 4:45 a.m. local time on Wednesday when the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory “detected glow in Kīlauea summit webcam images.” Those images showed that the eruption started within the volcano’s Halema’uma’u crater.

“Webcam imagery shows fissures at the base of Halema’uma’u crater generating lava flows on the surface of the crater floor,” the agency said. “The activity is confined to Halema’uma’u and the hazards will be reassessed as the eruption progresses.”

[I made my only visit to Hawaii five years ago and stayed on the Big Island just after Kilauea erupted in 2018. The trip was memorably bad for other reasons, but it was interesting to see the precautions in place and to discuss the eruption with residents. They were pretty sanguine about it, as Kilauea is an active volcano at all times. It’s akin to how Californians react to earthquakes and Midwesterners deal with tornado watches. — Ed]