Scientists declare two Hawaii volcanoes have stopped erupting

US scientists declared on Tuesday that two active Hawaii volcanoes — one where lava destroyed hundreds of homes in 2018 and another where lava recently stalled before reaching a crucial Big Island highway — have stopped erupting.

“Kilauea is no longer erupting,” the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement, followed by a separate one saying: “Mauna Loa is no longer erupting.”

Alert levels for both volcanoes were reduced from watch to advisory.

Mauna Loa began spewing molten rock on November 27 after being quiet for 38 years, drawing onlookers to take in the spectacle, and setting some nerves on edge early on among people who have lived through destructive eruptions.

Lava-viewers in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park enjoyed the added rare marvel of being able to see Mauna Loa’s smaller neighbour, Kilauea, erupting at the same time.

Kilauea has been erupting since September 2021. A 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 homes.

Mauna Loa lava did not pose a threat to any communities, but got within 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometres) of a major highway that connects the east and west sides of the island.