Kilauea Volcano

Kilauea Volcano Latest News

The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island released lava fountains reaching over 1,000 feet into the air recently.

About Kilauea Volcano

• It is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. 
• It is a shield-type volcano located in the southeastern part of the island of Hawaii, Hawaii state, United States.
• The volcano rises 4,190 feet (1,227 meters) above sea level.
• The summit caldera contains a lava lake known as Halema`uma`u that is said to be the home of the Hawaiian volcano goddess, Pele.
• Kilauea’s slopes merge with those of the nearby volcano Mauna Loa on the west and north.
• Kilauea has been erupting on a continuous basis since 1983.
• Kilauea’s frequent eruptions are usually nonexplosive and are contained within Halema‘uma‘u, which sometimes rises and overflows along the floor and flanks of the caldera proper.

Key Facts about Shield Volcano

• They are the largest volcanoes on Earth that actually look like volcanoes (i.e., not counting flood basalt flows). 
• The Hawaiian shield volcanoes are the most famous examples. 
• Shield volcanoes are almost exclusively basalt, a type of lava that is very fluid when erupted. For this reason, these volcanoes are not steep. They are broad volcanoes with gentle slopes.
• Eruptions at shield volcanoes are only explosive if water somehow gets into the vent; otherwise they are characterized by low-explosivity fountaining that forms cinder cones and spatter cones at the vent; however, 90% of the volcano is lava rather than pyroclastic material.
• They are built by repeated eruptions that occurred intermittently over vast periods of time (up to a million years or longer).

Kilauea Volcano FAQs

Q1: Which island is the Kilauea volcano on?

An:. It is located in the southeastern part of the island of Hawaii, Hawaii state, United States.

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Q2: Is the Kilauea volcano still active today?

An:. It is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and has been erupting on a continuous basis since 1983.

Q3: What type of volcano is Kilauea?

An:. Shield volcano

Source: IE