Kīlauea
False color picture of Kilauea
Elevation	4,091 ft (1,247 m)
Location	Hawaii, USA
Range	Hawaiʻian Islands
Coordinates	19°25′N 155°17′W
Type	Shield volcano
Volcanic arc/belt	Hawaiʻian-Emperor seamount chain
Age of rock	< 23000 yrs
Last eruption	1983-Present

Kīlauea (IPA: [kiːlauea]) is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the Island of Hawaiʻi. In topography a summit is a point on a surface which is higher in Elevation than all points immediately adjacent to The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys The Hawaiian Islands, once known as the Sandwich Islands, form an Archipelago of 19 Islands and Atolls numerous smaller A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Mountains can be characterized in several ways Some mountains are Volcanoes and can be characterized by the type of lava and eruptive history A shield volcano is a large Volcano with shallow-sloping sides A volcanic arc is a chain of volcanic islands or Mountains formed by Plate tectonics as an oceanic Tectonic plate subducts under A volcanic belt is a large volcanically active region Other terms are used for smaller areas of activity such as volcanic fields Volcanic belts are found above zones The Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain is composed of the Hawaiian Ridge, consisting of the islands of the Hawaiian chain northwest to Kure Atoll, and the Emperor The geologic time scale is a chronologic schema (or idealized Model) relating Stratigraphy to time that is used by Geologists and other Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the The Hawaiian Islands, once known as the Sandwich Islands, form an Archipelago of 19 Islands and Atolls numerous smaller A shield volcano is a large Volcano with shallow-sloping sides The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island, is a volcanic Island in the U In Hawaiian, the word kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading", in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava. The Hawaiian language (Hawaiian ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i) is an Austronesian language that takes its name from Hawai'i, the largest island in the tropical Lava is molten rock expelled by a Volcano during an eruption When first expelled from a volcanic vent it is a Liquid at Temperatures Issuing lava continuously since January 1983, Kīlauea is currently the most active volcano on the planet,^[1] an invaluable resource for volcanologists, and also the planet's most visited active volcano. Kīlauea is the most recent of a series of volcanoes that have created the Hawaiʻian Archipelago, as the Pacific Plate has moved and is moving over the Hawaiʻi hotspot (see Lōʻihi Seamount). An archipelago (ɑrkəˈpɛləgoʊ is a chain or cluster of Islands The word archipelago literally means "chief Sea " from Italian The Pacific Plate is an oceanic Tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. The Hawaii hotspot is perhaps the best known volcanic hotspot on Earth, responsible for the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Lōihi is a Seamount and undersea Volcano in the Hawaiian archipelago, located at 18 A seamount is a Mountain rising from the Ocean Seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface ( Sea level) and thus is not an Island The plate under Kilauea, crosses over a hotspot of land which causes them to crash together and therefore errupt.

Description

Kīlauea is located on Hawaiʻi Island, Hawaiʻi, in the United States. It lies against the southeast flank of much larger Mauna Loa volcano. Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on earth and one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U Mauna Loa's massive size and elevation (13,677 feet or 4,169 m) is a stark contrast to Kīlauea, which rises only 4,091 feet (1,247 m) above sea level, and thus from the summit caldera appears as a broad shelf of uplands well beneath the long profile of occasionally snow-capped Mauna Loa, 15 miles (24 km) distant.

Kīlauea is a very low, flat shield volcano — vastly different in profile from the high, sharply sloping peaks of stratovolcanoes like Mt. Fuji, Mount Hood, and Mount St. Helens. A shield volcano is a large Volcano with shallow-sloping sides A stratovolcano, also called a composite volcano is a tall conical Volcano composed of many layers of hardened Lava, Tephra, and Volcanic is the highest Mountain in Japan at.An Active volcano that last erupted in 1707–08 it straddles the boundary of Shizuoka and Mount Hood (called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe) is a Stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc in northern Mount St Helens is an active Stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States

Approach from Hilo

From Hilo, the belt highway, State Rte. 11, heads south to Keaʻau, then turns westward to begin the climb to the Kīlauea caldera. For some 20 miles (32 km) the road runs relatively straight, making a very gradual 4,000-foot (1,200 m) ascent. However, most of this climb is actually on the heavily vegetated, cloud forest flank of Mauna Loa. A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally Tropical or Subtropical evergreen Montane moist forest characterized by a The crossing onto lava flows issued from Kīlauea is not until about 1-mile (1. 6 km) west of Glenwood, 18 miles (29 km) from Hilo. The verdant, forested Mauna Loa flows are several thousand years old, whereas the lightly vegetated Kīlauea flows are only 350 to 500 years old.

Approach from Kona via Kaʻū

Driving south from Kailua-Kona on the west coast of Hawaiʻi, Kīlauea is 98 miles (158 km) distant along the belt highway, Rte. 11, which passes through Kaʻū, the southernmost district of the island. Kaū is the southernmost district on the island of Hawai{{okina}}i. After passing around the southern end of Mauna Loa's lengthy lower flank, the highway then turns northeast towards Kīlauea. The route through Kaʻū is different from the verdant forests seen when coming from Hilo: The route from the south approaches Kīlauea through the Kaū Desert, on the volcano's leeward slope. The Kaū Desert is a leeward Desert in the district of '''Ka{{okina}}ū, the sourthernmost district on the Big Island of Hawaii, and is Kīlauea's height of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) is sufficient to force most of the moisture out of the impinging northeasterly trade winds, leaving much of Kaʻū in the rain shadow of the "low" mountain, creating a desert effect. For the Australian television series see Rain Shadow (TV series. The desert effect is also produced by the acid rain resulting from sulfur dioxide emitted by the volcano. This area is also the very active southwest rift zone of Kīlauea, a prolific ash producer. A rift zone is a feature of some Volcanoes especially the Shield volcanoes of Hawaii, in which a linear series of fissures in the volcanic Volcanic ash consists of small Tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions less than in diameter Winds redistribute the ash, causing dust storms and dunes barren of most vegetation. In physical Geography, a dune is a Hill of Sand built by Aeolian processes.

As from the Hilo side, the long gradual climb from near sea level to the summit is actually all on the flank of Mauna Loa. Not until the Sulfur Bank scarp (the northwestern edge of Kīlauea Caldera), near the intersection of Crater Rim Drive in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, does the road cross over onto Kīlauea. In Geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp steep Elevation differential characterized From near Punaluʻu at the coast to the caldera at the summit, the highway parallels the line of contact between the two volcanoes — always less than 1-mile (1. 6 km) southeast of that line.

Kīlauea Caldera and Halemaʻumaʻu. Halemaumau crater is a Pit crater located within the much larger summit caldera, of Kīlauea, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Rainbow and volcanic ash with sulfur dioxide emissions from Halema`uma`u vent. A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of Light to appear in the Sky when the Sun Volcanic ash consists of small Tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions less than in diameter

Steam plume as Kīlauea red lava enters the ocean at three Waikupanaha and one Ki lava ocean entries. Some surface lava is seen too. The image was taken 04/16/08.

Eruption of Kilauea in 1954

Lava explodes as it hits ocean waves

Aerial view of Pu`u `O`o crater on Kīlauea, taken on 10 September 2007

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park encompasses a portion of Kīlauea, and the park visitor center is located near the margin of the summit caldera, overlooking a large pit crater called Halemaʻumaʻu. Puu Ōō (often written Puu Oo, and puʔu ʔoːʔoː (roughly "poo-oo oh-oh" is a cinder/spatter cone in the eastern Rift zone of the A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption A pit crater (also called a subsidence crater) is a depression formed by a sinking of the ground surface lying above a void or empty chamber rather than by Halemaumau crater is a Pit crater located within the much larger summit caldera, of Kīlauea, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The roughly circular caldera measures 3x5 km (or 6x6 km, including the outermost ring faults).

Kīlauea eruptions

Eruptions at Kīlauea occur primarily either from the summit caldera or along either of the lengthy East and Southwest rift zones that extend from the caldera and run approximately parallel to the coastline. A rift zone is a feature of some Volcanoes especially the Shield volcanoes of Hawaii, in which a linear series of fissures in the volcanic In recent decades, eruptions have been continuous, with many of the lava flows reaching to the Pacific Ocean shore. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions About 90% of the surface of Kīlauea is lava flows less than 1,100 years old; 70% of the surface is younger than 600 years.

There were 45 eruptions of Kīlauea in the twentieth century. The Mauna Ulu eruption of Kīlauea began on May 24, 1969 and ended on July 22, 1974. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. At the time, Mauna Ulu was the longest flank eruption of any Hawaiian volcano in recorded history. Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the The eruption created a new vent, covered massive amounts of land with lava, and added new land to the island. Lava is molten rock expelled by a Volcano during an eruption When first expelled from a volcanic vent it is a Liquid at Temperatures The Mauna Ulu eruption first started as a fissure between two pit craters, ʻĀloʻi and ʻAlae, where the Mauna Ulu shield would eventually form. A pit crater (also called a subsidence crater) is a depression formed by a sinking of the ground surface lying above a void or empty chamber rather than by Both pāhoehoe and ʻaʻā lava erupted from the volcano. Lava is molten rock expelled by a Volcano during an eruption When first expelled from a volcanic vent it is a Liquid at Temperatures Lava is molten rock expelled by a Volcano during an eruption When first expelled from a volcanic vent it is a Liquid at Temperatures Early on, fountains of lava burst out as much as 540 meters (1772 ft) high. In early 1973, an earthquake occurred that caused Kīlauea to stop erupting near the original Mauna Ulu site and instead erupt near the craters Pauahi and Hiʻiaka. Pauahi Crater is a depression 2000 feet long (610 metres and about 300 feet deep (90 metres However, the eruption site soon returned to normal. The 1990 lava flow was notable for its destruction of property.

Current vent eruption and lava flows

The current Kīlauea eruption began on January 3, 1983, along the East rift zone from the Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent and also the Kupaianaha vent, and continues to produce lava flows that travel 11 to 12 km from these vents to the sea. Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Puu Ōō (often written Puu Oo, and puʔu ʔoːʔoː (roughly "poo-oo oh-oh" is a cinder/spatter cone in the eastern Rift zone of the This eruption has covered over 117 km² of land on the southern flank of Kīlauea and has built out into the sea 2 km² (230 hectares) of new land. Since 1983 more than 2. 7 km³ of lava has been erupted, making the 1983-to-present eruption the largest historically known for Kīlauea. 189 structures have been destroyed. In the early to middle 1980s Kīlauea was known as "The Drive-By Volcano" because anyone could ride by and see the lava fountains — some as much as 1,000 feet (300 m) in the air — from their car.

In the 1990 lava flow the towns of Kalapana and Kaimū were totally destroyed, as were Kaimū Bay, Kalapana Black Sand Beach, and a large section of State Rte. Kalapana is a town on the Island of Hawai{{okina}}i in the Hawaiian Islands that was completely destroyed and partly buried by the eruptive flow of Lava Kaimū was a small town on the Island of Hawai{{okina}}i in the Hawaiian Islands that was completely destroyed by an eruptive flow of Lava from the 130, which now abruptly dead-ends at the lava flow. While Kīlauea is known for its largely non-explosive eruptions, it has a darker side to it: It has had large explosive eruptions in the past. ^[2] The most recent of such explosive eruptions occurred in 1924, when magma interacted with groundwater as the long-standing lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater drained. Lava lakes are large volumes of molten Lava, usually Basaltic, contained in a vent Volcanic crater, or broad depression Even larger ones have occurred, including one in 1790, which killed at least several dozen people. Eruption columns are inferred to have gone at least as high as 9 km (5. 6 miles) and even up to 15-20 km (9-12 miles) in altitude — much higher than the cruising altitude of airliners.

Eruptions from Kīlauea also are known for creating vog, or volcanic smog, which affects many areas of the Hawaiʻian Islands, including Oʻahu and Honolulu whenever winds come out of the south or southeast. Vog is a Portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and " Smog," and a volcanic smog is formed when Sulfur dioxide and other The Hawaiian Islands, once known as the Sandwich Islands, form an Archipelago of 19 Islands and Atolls numerous smaller

Lava from Kīlauea destroyed three abandoned houses in the week of February 25, 2008 in a nearly deserted neighborhood. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[3] On the night of March 5, 2008, lava from the flows again reached the ocean off the Puna coast, creating a spectacular show of light and color. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Puna is one of the 9 districts on the Island of Hawai{{okina}}i (Big Island (County of Hawaii Hawaii County Civil Defense officials have set up a viewing center nearby for the public to observe the phenomenon. ^[4][5]

2008 summit crater explosion

For more details on this topic, see Halema`uma`u crater. Halemaumau crater is a Pit crater located within the much larger summit caldera, of Kīlauea, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

In the early morning hours of March 19, 2008, Halemaʻumaʻu experienced its first explosive event since 1924 and the first eruption in the Kīlauea caldera since September 1982. A steam vent that had recently opened near the overlook area exploded, generating a magnitude 3. 7 earthquake, and scattering rocks over a 75 acre area. A small amount of ash was also reported at a nearby community. The explosion debris covered part of Crater Rim Drive and damaged Halemaʻumaʻu overlook. The explosion did not release any lava, which suggests to scientists that it was driven by hydrothermal or gas sources. ^[6]

This explosion event followed an increased sulfur dioxide gas levels from the Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The dangerous increase of sulfur dioxide gas has prompted closures of Crater Rim Drive between Kilauea Military Camp south/southeast to Chain of Craters Road, Crater Rim Trail from Kilauea Military Camp south/southeast to Chain of Craters Road, and all trails leading to Halemaʻumaʻu crater, including those from Byron Ledge, ʻIliahi (Sandalwood) Trail, and Kaʻu Desert Trail. ^[7]

Early in the morning of March 24, 2008, the white gas ejection changed to brown-gray ash, and lava particles were thrown from the vent, forming Pele's Hair, Pele's Tears, and 4-inch (100 mm) lava spatters around the vent. This is the first time fresh lava has been erupted in the crater since 1982.

Pele

Kīlauea is considered to be the present home of Pele, the volcano goddess of ancient Hawaiʻian legend. In Hawaiian mythology, Pele (ˈpɛlɛ PEH-leh not PAY-lay is the goddess of Fire, Lightning, Several special lava formations are named after her, including Pele's Tears (small droplets of lava that cool in the air and retain their teardrop shapes) and Pele's Hair (thin, brittle strands of volcanic glass that often form during the explosions that accompany a lava flow as it enters the ocean).

In Hawaiian mythology, Kīlauea is where most of the conflict between Pele and the rain god Kamapuaʻa took place. Hawaiian mythology is a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology. In Hawaiian mythology, Kamapuaa ("hog child" is a hog -man fertility Demi-god associated with Lono, the god of agriculture Halemaʻumaʻu, "House of the ʻamaʻumaʻu fern", derives its name from the final struggle between the two gods: since it was the favorite residence of Pele, Kamapuaʻa, hard-pressed by Pele's ability to make lava spout from the ground at will, covered it with the fronds of the fern. Sadleria is a genus of six species of Ferns in the family Blechnaceae, all endemic to Hawaii. Choking from the smoke which could not escape anymore, Pele emerged. Realizing that each could threaten the other with destruction, the gods had to call their fight a draw and divided the island between them: Kamapuaʻa got the windward northeastern side, and Pele got the drier Kona ("leeward") side. Windward is the direction from which the wind is blowing at the time in question Windward is the direction from which the wind is blowing at the time in question The rusty singed appearance of the young fronds of the ʻamaʻumaʻu was said to be a product of the legendary struggle.

Notes

External links

• Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's Kīlauea website
• Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's Kīlauea eruption update website (updated daily)
• Global Volcanism Program
• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website