Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory predict that Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano will erupt in the near future after the eruption sent 1,000 feet of lava into the sky on May 25th.
Since December 2024, Kilauea has erupted once a week, making it one of the most active volcanoes in the world, the US Geological Survey says.
Kilauea is not the only volcano that erupts. Over 50 volcanic eruptions have been reported around the world this year. According to Hawaii’s volcanic observatory, eruptions have contributed greatly to earthquakes of all sizes.
About the 2025 Kilauea eruption
The Kilauea eruption, which produced a 1,000-foot plume, occurred in a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on several islands located about 200 miles and southeast of Honolulu. According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Status Report, LAVA poses no immediate threat to those living in the area.
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Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano spits out a stunning lava fountain
According to the US Geological Survey, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has spitted out more than 1,000 feet of lava fountain.
Other volcanoes and rings of fire
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped region of the Pacific Ocean, covering more than 450 volcanoes.
According to NOAA, the ring expands “from the southern tip of South America, along the west coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, through Japan and into New Zealand.” The volcano extends further south to the Antarctic.
“There are three of the four live volcanoes on Earth here,” says National Geographic. “Almost all earthquakes happen here too.”
The Ring of Fire is the result of plate tectonics – a moving slab of millions of square miles of rock. They can collide and pull apart one another. Heavy plates can slide under the lighter plate and heat and melt the rocks to create magma. When magma rises through the Earth’s crust, the volcano forms.
How volcanoes differ in shape and size
How many volcanic eruptions occurred in 2025?
Every year, 50-70 volcanic eruptions are recorded around the world. According to the global volcanic activity program, as of May 2, 54 confirmed volcanic eruptions have been confirmed. Dozens of these eruptions were in new locations.
The underwater volcano lurks off the coast of Oregon
Large undersea axial ship volcanoes reach more than 3,600 feet above the seabed, approximately 300 miles from Oregon. It last exploded in 2015.
“A year ago, Axial looked like he was taking a nap, but now he’s awake. I think it’s likely to erupt by the end of 2025,” Bill Chadwick, a volcanologist at Oregon State University and part of a team studying volcanoes, told USA Today at the time.
A series of instruments placed around the volcano show that the reservoir has been replenished with magma since its last eruption, gradually swelling and bulging.
Overall, undersea volcanoes continue to grow, but “I don’t think anything is imminent,” he wrote.
Elizabeth Wise and Jim Sergent/USA Today contribution
