The Famous Kamokuna Lava Delta Collapsed Including Its Viewing Platform Into The Ocean In Hawaii (Video)

A 9-hectare part of the famous Kamokuna lava delta in Hawaii collapsed into the ocean on New Year's Eve. Almost all the lava delta lost into the ocean including its tourist viewing platform.

The Kamokuna lava delta is about 10.5 hectares in size. It is formed when the lava was spewed out of the Big Island's Kilauea volcano and merged with the waters of the Pacific Ocean and cooled. This shaped into a new land.

#Kamokuna ocean entry temporarily closed due to large lava delta collapse on #NewYearsEve pic.twitter.com/y9hqLHthAm

— Hawaii Volcanoes NPS (@Volcanoes_NPS) January 2, 2017

Jessica Ferracane, public affairs specialist for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, described the collapse as very, very dangerous. She further said that those 40-foot waves that were generated from the break off started to erode the coastal cliff section. Therefore, a lot of the coast cliff area that was out there, the former viewing area, all of those fell into the ocean, as noted by SFGate.

The good news is that no damage and lost lives were reported. Cindy Orlando, the Park Superintendent, said that it is fortunate that there were no aircraft or boats reported in the area at the time of the collapse, nor were any visitors on the delta itself, which is closed for public safety. She further said that had anyone been close by on land, water or air, lives would have surely been lost, according to Science Alert.

The area has now been temporarily closed to the public. The officials said that the new viewing area might be opened by noon on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Park Service secures the area.

The #Kamokuna #lava viewing area is now OPEN in #Hawai‘i #Volcanoes National Park after dangerous #lava #delta #collapse. Image #NPS. pic.twitter.com/z9MS9s3IUg — Hawaii Pacific Parks (@HIPacParks) January 3, 2017