Kilauea, the second largest volcano in Hawaii, began erupting on Wednesday after a three-month pause, U.S. Geological Survey officials said.

The survey鈥檚 Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement that a glow was detected in webcam images from Kilauea鈥檚 summit early in the morning, indicating that an eruption was occurring within the Halema鈥檜ma鈥檜 crater in the summit caldera.

The images show fissures at the base of the crater generating lava flows on the crater floor鈥檚 surface, the observatory said.

Before issuing the eruption notice, the observatory said increased earthquake activity and changes in the patterns of ground deformation at the summit started Tuesday night, indicating the movement of magma in the subsurface.

All activity is within a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on Hawaii鈥檚 Big Island.

The volcano鈥檚 alert level was raised to warning status and the aviation color code went to red as scientists evaluate the eruption and associated hazards.

Kilauea, one of the world鈥檚 most active volcanoes, erupted from September 2021 until last December. For about two weeks in December, Hawaii鈥檚 biggest volcano, , also was erupting on Hawaii鈥檚 Big Island.

After a short pause, Kilauea began erupting again in January. , ending in March.

A 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 homes.

Before the major 2018 eruption, Kilauea had been erupting since 1983, and streams of lava occasionally covered farms and homes. During that time, the lava sometimes reached the ocean, causing dramatic interactions with the water.

The Associated Press