Tourist captures video of exploding Hawaii volcano

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Thursday, May 14, 2015
Tourist captures volcano eruption
A tourist from Utah capture video of the eruption of Halemaumau Crater in Hawaii.

KILAUEA VOLCANO, Hawaii -- A Utah tourist captured video of an exploding volcano in Hawaii that sent molten lava and rocks flying through the air.



Diane Ririe, who was visiting her parents in Kailua-Kona, shot the video of the Halemaumau Crater on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano.



The explosion was caused by the partial collapse of a crater wall into the lava pit, which then spit up a mushroom cloud of gas and debris.



At the summit of Kilauea is the volcanoes caldera. Within that caldera is the Halema'uma'u crater and within that crater is a lake of lava that is


just seven feet away from overflowing into the crater.



Ririe's parents live in Kailua-Kona so she's been to Kilauea volcano several times. But, this time, she had just arrived and said she had a feeling something was going to happen and immediately started filming.



Within seconds, the crater rim came crashing down dunking into the lava pit and spit up a mushroom cloud of gas and debris.



"This will stick with me for life. It sure will," said Ririe. "I've always had a tremendous respect for the earth and for the volcano, but I even do more so now than ever."


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