This is the spectacular moment a lava fountain was seen from the air at the summit of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.

Dramatic footage shows hot molten rocks spewing out from the crater.

The video clip was taken by the US Geological Survey's (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory during a monitoring overflight on April 1 around noon.

The US Geological Survey's (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that the high fountain phase of episode 16 of the ongoing Halema'uma'u eruption began at 10:24 am HST on Tuesday, around 12 hours after the episode's initial onset.

Authorities noted that fountaining from the south vent quickly escalated, reaching over 200ft (70m) by 10:40 am HST and surpassing 700ft (215m) by 10:50 am HST.

The fountain also spread a tephra blanket to the northwest, reaching as far as Highway 11. Near the vents, the tephra deposit is up to 5 ft (1.5 m) thick in some areas.

This eruption, which began on December 23 of the previous year, follows a pattern of brief, explosive episodes—each lasting around 13 hours, separated by pauses ranging from one day to nearly two weeks.

Kilauea is the world's most active volcanic mass and is the central feature of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Its caldera is nearly three miles long and two miles wide, with an area of more than four square miles.