Kilauea

kilauea

Kīlauea is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaiʻi. It is the most recent of a series of volcanoes that havecreated the Hawaiian archipelago, as the Pacific Plate moves over the Hawaii hotspot. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. ThePuʻu ʻŌʻō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern rift-zone since 1983, making it the longest rift-zone eruption of the last 200 years. Thirty-four eruptions have taken place since 1952,not including the current episode. Lava less than 1000 years old covers 90% of Kīlauea, and the volume of erupted material is large enough to pave a road across the world three times.
Kīlauea is one ofthe most active volcanoes on the planet and an invaluable resource for volcanologists who are able to study it up close due to its exclusively non-violent effusive activity. Since 2008, risingemissions of sulfur dioxide from the Halemaʻumaʻu crater at Kīlauea's summit have led to increased levels of volcanic smog and air quality concerns. Located within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Kīlaueais visited by millions of tourists each year, making it the most visited attraction in Hawaii and the most visited volcano in the world. Despite its relative safety for researchers and visitors alike,Kīlauea is regarded by the USGS as the most dangerous volcano in the U.S. In 2010 and early 2011, lava destroyed several houses in the Kalapana area.
For Native Hawaiians, Kīlauea is considered the"body" of Pele, the volcano goddess of ancient Hawaiian legend. Several lava formations are named after her, including Pele's tears (small droplets of lava that cool in the air and retain theirteardrop shapes) and Pele's hair In Hawaiian mythology, Kīlauea is where most of the conflict between Pele and the rain god Kamapuaʻa took place. Halemaʻumaʻu, "House of the ʻamaʻumaʻu fern", derives its...