The Kilauea volcano has been active for more than two months and has disrupted life in Hawaii. There are fears that a museum at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park might be in danger. It may be closed down permanently because of instability in the surrounding region due to the erupting volcano.
New Zealand Herald reports that the museum building was constructed in 1927. It offers views of the lava lake inside Halemaumau crater and contains various equipment that scientists used to study the volcano.
The building is also home to the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and its staff has already been relocated in view of possible threats.
Danger to the museum from the Kilauea volcano
Hawaii has five volcanos and Kīlauea has been active since the 1980s. It has resulted in damage to properties and even destroyed a town in 1990. The present eruption began in early May and has continued to remain active. Many people had to be evacuated and the latest casualty could be the museum that is located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The building that houses the museum also accommodates an observatory.
It has not yet been checked out but in the opinion of park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane, it could slide into the volcano's widening crater. That will be a great loss. Cracks have appeared in the building and the parking lot. In anticipation of the worst case scenario, work has already started on shifting artifacts to a separate location.
Two months and Kilauea continues to erupt
According to Newsweek, there seems to be no respite for the Kilauea volcano. It continues to remain active and is making its presence felt through regular explosions that have led to collapses at the summit on Hawaii's Big Island. The explosions were accompanied by a quake of magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale but there were no warnings issued for any tsunami by the authorities.
Prior to the earthquake, the United States Geological Survey had issued a caution to the local residents that the explosion could throw debris in the area. There could also be a rain of rocks and ash plumes and people must take proper care to avoid injuries and ensure safety.
There was another explosion inside the crater and Hawaiians were advised to check out the connections of essentials like gas, water, and electricity that could be damaged by the quake. The people of Hawaii are familiar with volcanos and know the precautions that they must take.