Government Panics As Hawaiian Volcano Prepares To Shoot 12-ton Boulders Into Sky

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The Hawaiian government and scientists have warned that boulders weighing 12 tons, almost the same weight of a cruise ship, are about to be launched from the volcano that is continuing to cause havoc in the region.

Scientists have claimed the boulder ejection is the biggest danger from Kilauea in almost 100 years, that will duly add to the chaos of the island in the light of the eruption.

If the lake drops below sea level, scientists have warned the bubbling summit could explode - and with it could include 12-ton boulders flying into the sky.

On Friday NeonNettle reported frantic attempts by the Hawaiian government to avoid a devastating explosion as the lava from the recent volcanic eruption races towards a chemical plant is proving to be futile.

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The fast-moving lava from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii is now closing in on a geothermal power plant, prompting a desperate attempt to remove tens of thousands of gallons of highly flammable chemicals.

The emergency task force is scrambling to remove large amounts of pentane from the Puna Geothermal Venture plant the Hawaii Governor David Ige said

AOL reports: A confounding eruption from the Big Island volcano could come in the next few weeks, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory warned in a conference call.

That’s because the 14 cracks in the ground it created in Leilani Estates have drained the lava lake at the summit of Kilauea.

If the lake drops below sea level, the scientists warned late Wednesday, the bubbling summit could blow — sending 12-ton boulders and tiny molten fragments flying.

"If an explosion happens, there's a risk at all scales,” Don Swanson, a volcano observatory scientist, said in a conference call. “If you're near the crater within a half a mile or so, then you would be subject to a bombardment by ballistic blocks weighing as much as 10 or 12 tons.”

Be, he admitted, scientists have no clue when in the next few weeks this could happen.

“We suspect it’s a rapid process,” he said. “We really don’t know for certain.”

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The last such eruption was in 1924, when one person died as ash, rocks and other debris rained down on Big Island for more than two weeks.

About 1,700 residents in Leilani Estates and the surrounding areas have fled their homes since last week, when Kilauea began its latest eruption.

Fissures in the ground have shot molten lava that’s more than 2,000 degrees into the area, destroying 26 houses and another 10 structures.

The summit that’s likely to blow is located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which said it will close Friday as a precaution.

The dipping lava lake level could also create ash that can float miles and blanket neighborhoods the way snow might.

Adding to the danger is about 50,000 gallons of flammable gas known as pentane, which is stored at the Puna Geothermal Venture plant not far from the fissures.

Workers have ramped up efforts to removed the explosive material from the volcano’s path, Hawaii Gov. David Ige said, because it would be “very, very hazardous”should the lava hit the gas-filled plant.

Ige added he hopes all the pentante will be removed by Thursday.