Hugh Gentry / Reuters

Waves crash over lava as it flows into the ocean near Volcanoes National Park in Kalapana, Hawaii on November 27, 2012.

Hugh Gentry / Reuters

Reuters reports — A volcano on Hawaii's largest island is spilling lava into the ocean, creating a rare and spectacular fusion of steam and waves that officials said could attract thrill-seeking visitors if it continues.

Lava from a vent in Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii began flowing into the ocean 7 miles away on Saturday. The volcano has been erupting continuously from its Pu'u O'o vent since 1983.

Hugh Gentry / Reuters

A plume of smoke rises from the volcanic activity in Kilauea crater on November 27, 2012.

Janet Babb, spokeswoman for the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, warned of potentially deadly risks and urged visitors to stay a safe distance away and respect barriers placed around the lava flow.

"Ocean entries can be quite beautiful but also quite dangerous," Babb said. Read the full story.

Hugh Gentry / Reuters

Hugh Gentry / Reuters

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Stefan Keller / Reuters

A massive plume of ash billows up into the sky as Mount Tongariro erupts in Tongariro National Park, New Zealand on November 21, 2012. The volcano previously erupted in August this year, the first time in more than a century.

The Associated Press reports — A New Zealand volcano erupted with a brief blast of dark ash Wednesday, canceling flights but causing no significant damage. Schoolchildren and dozens of other hikers who were walking on trails along the mountain's base were safe.

The eruption of Mount Tongariro, its second in less than four months, sent a dark ash plume about 1.9 miles into the sky. Authorities issued a no-fly alert above the mountain located in the sparsely populated area of central North Island.

Tongariro National Park, which has three active volcanoes, was the backdrop for many scenes in "The Lord of the Rings" movies. Read the full story.

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Tim Orr / USGS

The lava lake casts red light at Kīlauea's summit at sunset. The lake is about 138 ft below the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu on Oct. 18.

By Becky Oskin, OurAmazingPlanet  

 The steaming lava lake in a vent near the summit of Hawaii's Mount Kilauea recently hit its highest level since the vent opened in 2008, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The record was reached Oct. 14, when the lava rose to within 150 to 165 feet of the top of the nearly vertical vent, the USGS said. The lava continues to fluctuate but has remained high over the past few days, said Jim Kauahikaua, scientist-in-charge of the HVO.

The vent is inside Halema'uma'u Crater atop Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes. The lava lake rises and falls as magma levels change within the volcano. Read the full story.

Tim Orr / USGS

A close up of the surface of the lava lake at Kīlauea's summit on Oct. 18. The lake is about 138 ft below the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu.

Tim Orr / USGS

The lava lake in the 'overlook' vent in Halemaʻumaʻu reached to within 124.7 feet of the crater floor, filling the entire bottom of the vent on Oct. 19.

View more pictures of volcanoes on PhotoBlog:

• Guatemalan eruption sparks massive evacuation order
• Fuego volcano spews 24-hour ash eruption
• Ecuador authorities issue warning as Tungurahua volcano spews ash, gas
• Tungurahua volcano erupts in Ecuador
• Increased activity of Nevado del Ruiz volcano caused alert from Colombia officials

View more pictures of the lava lake on the USGS website.

EPA

Volcano Fuego erupts, Sept. 13, 2012.

Associated Press reports — Villagers and farmers living at the foot of a Guatemalan volcano say they were awoken by a massive roar when the long-simmering Volcan del Fuego exploded with a series of eruptions that darkened the skies and covered the surrounding sugar cane fields with ash. Full story…

Reuters

A car sits covered with volcanic ash in Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa, south of Guatemala City, Sept. 14.

Reuters

A woman cleans a sidewalk covered with volcanic ash in Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa, south of Guatemala City, Sept. 14.

Daniele Volpe / EPA

Residents from San Pedro Yepocapa, Guatemala, are evacuated on Sept. 13 due to the eruptive activity of the Volcano Fuego.

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Gary Granja / Reuters

The Tungurahua volcano spews a large cloud of ash towards the nearby town of Bilbao, Ecuador, in the early hours of August 21, 2012.

Carlos Campana / Reuters

The volcano spews large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, about 110 miles south of Quito, on August 20, 2012.

Gary Granja / Reuters

The volcano spews ash towards the nearby town of Banos on August 21, 2012.

Carlos Campana / Reuters

A view of the volcano on August 20, 2012.

Ecuadorian authorities are encouraging residents living near the Tungurahua volcano to evacuate due to increased activity, according to local media reports cited by Reuters. The volcano has been in an active state since October 1999. 

See more images of the Tungurahua volcano on PhotoBlog

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Jaime Echeverria / EPA

The Tungurahua volcano is seen from Juive Grande, Ecuador, early Aug. 19. The Tungurahua volcano erupted with explosions and tremblings described as volcanic activity in the range between moderate and high. Reportedly the region was put on an orange alert.

Carlos Campana / Reuters

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spews large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, about 110 miles south of Quito Aug. 19. The authorities are encouraging residents living near the volcano to evacuate due to increased activity of the volcano. The Tungurahua volcano has been in an active state since October 1999.

Carlos Campana / Reuters

A cow covered with ashes is seen in the skirts of the Tungurahua volcano after it began spewing large clouds of gas and ash.

Carlos Campana / Reuters

A house covered with ashes is seen in the skirts of the Tungurahua volcano.

AFP - Getty Images

A plume of smoke billows on May 29, from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, located on the border of the departments of Caldas and Tolima in Colombia, some 130 km west of Bogota in this picture from the Colombian Geological and Mining Institute. Colombian authorities have elevated the alert status in the area to orange due to an increase in the volcano's activity.

John Jairo Bonilla / EPA

People cover their faces to keep them from breathing ashes created by Ruiz volcano's eruption in Manizales, Colombia, on May 29. Colombian authorities elevated the alert to orange, after an unusual increase in the volcano activity.

Related links:

Five active volcanoes you should keep your eye on

See more volcano images in PhotoBlog

Yuri Cortez / AFP - Getty Images

Incandescent materials, ashes and smoke are spewed from the Popocatepetl Volcano in Santiago Xalitzintla, in the Mexican central state of Puebla, on April 26, 2012.

Residents at the foot of Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano no longer sleep soundly since the towering mountain roared back into action two weeks ago, spewing out a hail of rocks, steam and ashes, Agence France Presse reports.

The volcano, Mexico's second highest peak at 5,452 meters, started rumbling and spurting high clouds of ash and steam on April 13, provoking the authorities to raise the alert to level five on a seven-point scale.

A ghostly image captured by a NASA satellite, below, shows the erupting volcano at night, OurAmazingPlanet.com reports. It's a thermal image, snapped at 10:53 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The lighter areas are warmer, the darker areas cooler. The white dot in the center of the image is a hotspot within the volcano's summit crater. 

Jesse Allen / NASA Earth Observatory

NASA's Terra satellite captured this nighttime view of the Popocatépetl volcano eruption at 10:53 p.m. local time (04:53 Universal Time) on April 25, 2012.

Take a look at more photos of the Popocatepetl volcano on PhotoBlog.

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Davide Caudullo / AP

In this photo taken Monday, April 23, lava flows during an eruption of the snow capped Mount Etna volcano, near the Sicilian town of Catania, southern Italy.

See more PhotoBlog posts on the Mount Etna volcano's recent activity.

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