(CNN) Hawaii's Kilauea volcano could be bracing for another dangerous eruption after a pond of water was discovered inside its summit crater.

Last year, Kilauea, which had been erupting continuously for nearly 35 years, spewed lava that destroyed hundreds of homes on the Big Island.

Researchers with the US Geological Survey have now confirmed the presence of water at the bottom of the Halema'uma'u crater, which was previously home to a lava lake.

This is the first time in recorded history that water has been discovered on the floor of Kilauea's crater.

"I am a bit surprised that water could accumulate to make a lake at Kilauea because the rocks are so permeable," Michael Manga, professor of Earth and planetary science at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote in an email. "I would have guessed that the lake water would drain."

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