Kilauea is an active shield volcano located on the southeastern part of the island of Hawaiʻi and is considered one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. It has been erupting almost continuously since 1983, with the most recent eruption beginning in December 2024. The volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and grew above sea level about 100,000 years ago. Its name, Kilauea, translates to “spewing” or “much spreading” in Hawaiian, a fitting description for its frequent and voluminous lava flows.
Kilauea is the second-youngest product of the Hawaiian hotspot and is the current eruptive center of the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain. Its summit contains a large, recently formed caldera with two active rift zones extending from it. These rift zones are long series of cracks or fissures in the lava that allow eruptions to occur from the side of the volcano rather than just its summit. The volcano is also significant in Hawaiian culture, as many native Hawaiians view Kilauea as the home of the volcanic deity Pelehonuamea.
Kilauea’s eruptions have varied in style and location over its history. A notable period was the 1983-2018 eruption, which was the longest and most voluminous eruption on Kilauea’s East Rift Zone in more than 500 years. This eruption destroyed communities and added new land to the island as lava flowed into the ocean. The 2018 eruption was particularly destructive, with lava flows destroying hundreds of homes and creating a large summit collapse. Following a period of pause, eruptive activity resumed, and currently, eruptions are taking place within the Halemaʻumaʻu crater, a pit crater within Kīlauea’s summit caldera.
Kilauea is another popular site-seeing spot on the Big Island of Hawaii with 169,439 visitors in 2024.
