Molten rock began shooting from the volcano before dawn on Monday when fissures opened in the caldera floor and propelled lava 295 feet (90 meters) into the air. The red liquid formed tall fountains and then spread across 650 acres (263 hectares). The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory estimated the lava was about 1 yard (1 meter) thick.

The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island spewed lava on Christmas Day (December 25), keeping up its rumbling despite the alert level at the volcano being lowered.

The eruption, which began around 2:30 a.m. within Halemaumau Crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, was preceded by increased earthquake activity beneath the Kilauea summit starting at about 2 a.m. Webcam imagery from HVO showed fissures producing lava fountains and flows at the base of the crater.