Extraordinary Footage Shows A Volcano Exploding As A Crater Wall Collapses

The wall of a crater on Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii collapsed Sunday, creating an explosion of lava.

As a result of ongoing fluctuations in a lava lake in Hawaii, a wall of the crater it resides in collapsed Sunday, causing a fiery blast and a massive plume of smoke to rise.

Since last week, the lava lake in Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano has been rising, and occasionally bubbling over into Halemaumau crater, which it resides in.

The lava lake has been seen splattering above the rim of Halemaumau crater, and rocks have been heard rumbling as the walls of the crater expand with heat.

On Sunday, a portion of the crater collapsed, triggering a fiery burst. Watch the amazing footage of the moment the explosion happened:

View this video on YouTube

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The explsion was so strong if left fist-size rocks scattered along the rim of Halemaumau Crater near the closed visitor overlook, according to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.

This sequence of still images show the explosion throwing rocks onto the crater rim.

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