What we can learn from the Mt. Kilauea eruption

Lava erupts from a new fissure Saturday
Lava erupts from a new fissure Saturday, May 5, 2018, in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, after the eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano.
U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images

Close to 2,000 people have been evacuated after a volcano erupted on Hawaii last week. Video from the Big Island shows creeping lava and fiery fissures in the earth.

MPR News host Kerri Miller talked to two volcano experts about the science of lava and volcanoes, and lots of listeners weighed in on Twitter with their own volcano stories.

Guests:

Jess Phoenix, geologist, co-founder of environmental science nonprofit Blueprint Earth, and a Democratic candidate running for Congress in California's 25th district.

Kari Cooper, professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC-Davis