Kilauea is a well-known shield volcano located in the Hawaiian Islands. Kilauea means spewing or much spreading in Hawaiian. It is the most active volcano on earth. It is also the most active of 5 subaerial volcanoes (subaerial- always has explosive eruptions)and it’s the second youngest. Kilauea’s age is estimated to be 300,000 to 600,000 years old. This volcano is one that is connected to the Hawaiian Hotspot. It’s also the center of the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamant Chain. Today, it frequently pours lava. Lava younger than 1,000 years makes up 90% of the volcano.
Tephra and sulfur dioxide disrupts the ecology around the volcano, so not a lot of organisms live there. The Mauna Loa volcano is located directly next to Kilauea, but scientists believe they have different magma chambers.
All the past eruptions of Kilauea occurred at one of these places on the volcano; 1. Its eastern summit caldera (cauldron like feature), 2. The eastern rift zone, 3. The southwestern rift zone. In 1840, Kilauea erupted explosively for 26 days straight, and it produced 205-265 million cubic meters of lava. In 1924, There was a lot of explosive activity, in the process, eruption columns were formed, and the volcano spit out huge chunks of rock. In 1952, Lava fountains 15-30 meters high, destroyed evacuated resorts and communities. In 1969, an eruption started and lasted until 1974, where the devastation ended. In 1983, An eruption occurred at the eastern rift zone. The vent in the volcano produced lava fountains, along with slow moving lava down the side of Kilauea. By 2011, Kilauea, produced 3.5 km of lava, covered 123.2 km of land, added 509 acres of land, destroyed 213 structures, and resurfaced highway with lava as thick as 35 meters.
Tephra and sulfur dioxide disrupts the ecology around the volcano, so not a lot of organisms live there. The Mauna Loa volcano is located directly next to Kilauea, but scientists believe they have different magma chambers.
All the past eruptions of Kilauea occurred at one of these places on the volcano; 1. Its eastern summit caldera (cauldron like feature), 2. The eastern rift zone, 3. The southwestern rift zone. In 1840, Kilauea erupted explosively for 26 days straight, and it produced 205-265 million cubic meters of lava. In 1924, There was a lot of explosive activity, in the process, eruption columns were formed, and the volcano spit out huge chunks of rock. In 1952, Lava fountains 15-30 meters high, destroyed evacuated resorts and communities. In 1969, an eruption started and lasted until 1974, where the devastation ended. In 1983, An eruption occurred at the eastern rift zone. The vent in the volcano produced lava fountains, along with slow moving lava down the side of Kilauea. By 2011, Kilauea, produced 3.5 km of lava, covered 123.2 km of land, added 509 acres of land, destroyed 213 structures, and resurfaced highway with lava as thick as 35 meters.