Kīlauea

Kīlauea is a very active volcano.

It is in the Hawaii Islands. The name means "much spreading." This is because red lava flows out often.

This lava can change the land. It can even cover towns. The volcano has a large pit at the top. It also has two long cracks. Lava comes out of these cracks too. It is a very amazing place to see.

Kīlauea is an active shield volcano. It is in the Hawaiian Islands.

The name means "much spreading." This refers to how often lava flows out. Kīlauea is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old. It grew above the sea about 100,000 years ago.

The volcano has a large pit at its top. This is called a caldera. Inside the caldera is a pit crater named Halemaʻumaʻu. Between 2008 and 2018, this crater had a lava lake.

Kīlauea also has two rift zones. These are long cracks that let out lava. One zone goes east. The other goes toward the southwest. The eastern rift zone is very active. In 2018, lava erupted from many vents in the Puna district. This lava destroyed 716 homes.

Lava from the volcano can change the land. It can cover plants and make acid rain. Yet, many plants and animals still live there. This is because the islands are far from other land.

Kīlauea is a very active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands.

It sits on the southeastern shore of Hawaii Island. This volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old. It grew above the sea level about 100,000 years ago. Since people settled the islands, it has been the most active of the five volcanoes there. It is even one of the most active volcanoes on the whole Earth.

This volcano works through many different ways of moving lava. It has a large summit caldera named Kaluapele. A caldera is a large pit at the top of a volcano. Inside this pit is a smaller crater called Halemaʻumaʻu.

Kīlauea also has two rift zones. These are long cracks that let lava out. One rift zone goes east and the other goes southwest. Lava often flows out of these cracks or from the summit.

People have studied this volcano for a long time. English missionary William Ellis gave the first modern account of it. He spent two weeks exploring the area. In 1912, Thomas Jaggar founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. This group studies the volcano and the island.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law to form Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Today, the park is a World Heritage Site. It brings about 2.6 million visitors every year.

There are many important facts about Kīlauea's history. The name means "spewing" or "much spreading."

A major eruption happened around the year 1410. In 1790, an explosive eruption killed more than 400 people. Between 1983 and 2018, the volcano erupted nearly continuously. In 2018, lava destroyed 716 dwellings in the Puna district. The lava also destroyed a large natural freshwater lake.

Kīlauea is part of a huge chain of volcanoes. This is called the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain. It was formed as the Pacific tectonic plate moved over a hotspot. A hotspot is a place in the Earth's mantle.

This process has lasted for 70 million years. Kīlauea is the second-youngest product of this hotspot. It is also near the much larger Mauna Loa volcano. These two volcanoes sometimes seem to talk to each other through their activity.

Kīlauea is a highly active shield volcano located on the southeastern shore of Hawaii Island.

It is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. The volcano is estimated to be between 210,000 and 280,000 years old. It first rose above sea level about 100,000 years ago. Kīlauea is the second-youngest volcano produced by the Hawaiian hotspot. This hotspot is a location in the Earth's mantle. The volcano is part of the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain. This chain of volcanoes and underwater mountains stretches 6,000 kilometers. It reaches from Hawaii all the way to the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench in Russia.

Geologically, Kīlauea formed as the Pacific tectonic plate moved over the Hawaiian hotspot. This process has continued for 70 million years. Kīlauea began as a submarine volcano. It grew larger through underwater eruptions of alkali basalt lava. Eventually, it emerged from the sea through explosive eruptions. Today, the volcano has a shield shape. This shape comes from the way lava flows out of it. Most of the volcano's bulk is still underwater. The part above the water has a surface area of about 385 square kilometers. This area makes up 13.7 percent of the total surface of Hawaii Island.

The structure of Kīlauea includes a large summit caldera named Kaluapele. A caldera is a large pit at the top of a volcano. Kaluapele has walls that reach up to 600 meters high. Within this caldera lies Halemaʻumaʻu. This is a large pit crater that has been a very active eruption center. Between 2008 and 2018, Halemaʻumaʻu held an active lava lake. Kīlauea also features two distinct rift zones. These are long cracks where lava can escape. The eastern rift zone is very dominant and active. It features large pit craters and low-lying ridges. The southwestern rift zone is much smaller and less active. It has not seen a rifting episode since 1974.

The volcano's activity can be very intense. Kīlauea is known for both effusive and explosive eruptions. Effusive eruptions involve the steady outpouring of lava. Explosive eruptions can send ash into the air. In 1790, an explosive eruption killed more than 400 people. This was the deadliest volcanic eruption in what became the United States. In modern times, the 1983 to 2018 eruption was incredibly long. It lasted nearly 35 years and was one of the longest documented on Earth. During this time, the eruption produced massive amounts of lava. It resurfaced large areas of the land.

Significant damage occurred during the 2018 eruption. Activity shifted from the summit to the lower Puna district. Lava erupted from two dozen different vents. These vents created lava fountains that sent rivers of lava into the ocean. This event destroyed Hawaii's largest natural freshwater lake. It also destroyed the communities of Kapoho and Vacationland Hawaii. The County of Hawaii reported that 716 dwellings were destroyed. This eruption also caused the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake to drain. This led to explosive collapse events at the summit. These events forced the closure of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for months.

Scientists have studied Kīlauea for a long time. English missionary William Ellis provided the first modern account. In 1912, Thomas Jaggar founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. This organization serves as the main scientific body for studying the volcano. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law to create Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Today, the park is a World Heritage Site. It attracts about 2.6 million visitors every year. Scientists use tools like GPS to monitor the volcano. They also study the lava to understand how the volcano works.

Kīlauea also interacts with its neighbor, Mauna Loa. For a long time, people thought Kīlauea was just a satellite of Mauna Loa. However, lava analysis shows they have separate magma chambers. Interestingly, their activity often seems to trade places. When Kīlauea is quiet, Mauna Loa is often active. In 2022, both volcanoes erupted at the same time. This was the first time this happened since 1984. Geologists believe magma pulses in one volcano might increase pressure in the other. This shows how the different parts of the island are connected through the Earth's crust.