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Current Activity
Kilauea eruption update:
Map of current lava flow fields on Kilauea
Saturday, Apr 20, 2013
The eruption has not changed significantly over the past weeks, with continuing activity in both the summit lava lake and lava flows on the rift zone, reaching the sea. ... [more]
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013
During 10-16 April HVO reported that the circulating lava lake periodically rose and fell in the deep pit within Kilauea's Halema'uma'u Crater. The plume from the vent continued to deposit variable amounts of ash, spatter, and Pele's hair onto nearby areas. ... [more]
Satellite photo of Kilauea volcano, showing the summit caldera and parts of its east rift zone with the active vent Pu'u 'O'o.
Satellite photo of Kilauea volcano, showing the summit caldera and parts of its east rift zone with the active vent Pu'u 'O'o.
Three-dimesional view of Kilauea volcano based on satellite imagery.
Three-dimesional view of Kilauea volcano based on satellite imagery.

Map of Kilauea volcano, Big Island Hawai'i
Map of Kilauea volcano, Big Island Hawai'i

Kilauea volcano

Shield volcano 1277 m (4,190 ft)
Hawai'i, 19.43°N / -155.29°W
Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
Kilauea webcams / live data
Last update: 20 Apr 2013
Typical eruption style: Dominantly effusive since 1790, but ~60% explosive over past ~2500 years.
Kilauea volcano eruptions: Near-continuous eruptions. Since 1960: 1961 (4x), 1962, 1963 (2x), 1965 (2x), 1967-68, 1968 (2x), 1969, 1969-74, 1971 (2x), 1973 (2x), 1974 (3x), 1975, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982 (2x), 1983-2013 (ongoing, incl. 1986, 1992, 1997, 2007, 2011 (3x)) Haleamaumau crater in the center of the Kilauea caldera - the heart of Kilauea volcano
Kilauea Volcano Photos

Last earthquakes nearby:
TimeMag. / DepthDistanceLocation
Sun, 19 May
Sun, 19 May 01:06 UTCM 1.7 / 4.9 km2 km8km WSW of Volcano, Hawaii
Sat, 18 May
Sat, 18 May 19:14 UTCM 2.2 / 36.3 km30 km1km NNW of Pahala, Hawaii
Sat, 18 May 15:48 UTCM 2.1 / 6.2 km13 km12km S of Volcano, Hawaii
Sat, 18 May 00:23 UTCM 1.9 / 5.8 km2 km7km W of Volcano, Hawaii
Thu, 16 May
Thu, 16 May 17:20 UTCM 1.5 / 29.5 km8 kmHawaii region, Hawaii
View all recent quakes
Kilauea is the youngest and most active Hawaiian shield volcano, located on the southern part of the Island of Hawai'i, known as Big Island. Hawai'i is the southernmost and largest of the island chain, which owes its existence to the very active Hawaiian hot spot.
Kilauea volcano is near-constantly erupting from vents either on its summit (caldera) or on the rift zones. At present, Kilauea volcano is still having one of the most long-lived eruptions known on earth, which started in 1983 on the eastern rift zone and has mainly been concentrated at the Pu'u 'O'o vent.

Background:

Kilauea volcano, a youthful shield volcano, sitting on the south east flank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano, is the youngest volcano (on land) of the Hawaiian hot spot and not only the most active volcano of Hawaii but at the same time also the world's active volcano. It has been in near-constant activity since there is oral or written history and it is having an uninterrupted eruption since 1983 (at present at the Pu'u 'O'o vent on the East rift zone).

Its eruptions are prominent in Hawaiian Polynesian legends and written documentation about its activity go back to only 1820s when it started to attract interested visitor from all over the world and bacame one of volcanology's hot spots.

Kilauea has a large summit caldera with a central crater, Halemaumau, which is according to Hawaiian legends the home of the fire goddess Pele. Until 1924, it contained a lava lake. Kilauea has frequent summit and flank lava flow eruptions that are occurring along two elongated rift zones to the south-west and to the east, which extend to the sea on both sides of the volcano. The 3 x 5 km caldera was formed in several stages about 1500 years ago. About 90% of the surface of the basaltic shield volcano is formed of lava flows less than about 1100 years old; 70% of the volcano's surface is younger than 600 years. The long-term eruption from the East rift zone that began in 1983 has produced lava flows covering more than 100 sq km, destroying nearly 200 houses and adding new coastline to the island.

Kilauea Photos:




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