Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is once again spewing lava into the air

The Kilauea volcano began shooting lava into the air once again on Tuesday on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has been erupting on and off for nearly two months since it burst to life on 23 December. The eruption has been taking place at the volcano’s summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes national park. No residential areas have been threatened by the lava.

The latest release of molten rock began 10.16am with lava flowing on to the floor of Halemaumau crater. A half-hour later, a vent shot lava about 330ft (100 meters) high.

This is the ninth episode of eruptive activity since 23 December, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said. Earlier episodes have lasted from 13 hours to eight days, with pauses in between.

People have been flocking to overlook sites inside the national park for views of the eruption.

Kilauea is about 200 miles (320km) south-east of Honolulu.