Mount Kilauea

Mount Kilauea Volcano is home of Fire Goddess, Pele. The Hawaiian name "Kīlauea" means "spewing" or "much spreading," according to the grapevine in reference to the lava flows that it erupts. 

Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes has a circumference of 8 mi (13 km) and is surrounded by a wall of volcanic rock 200 to 500 ft (61—152 m) high.. It is a shield-type volcano. Mount Kilauea is one of 5 active volcanoes in Hawaii, U.S. Mount Kilauea located on the southern part of the Island of Hawai'i, U.S, known as Big Island because of it's 8 major volcanoes, is currently 4038 square miles (approx. 6 500 square km ) and grows around 42 acres every year from mount Kilauea's eruptions. Hawai'i is the southernmost and biggest of the island chain, which owes its existence to the very active Hawaiian hot spot.  

Mount Kilauea rises 4,190 feet (1,227 meters) above sea level and is about 14 percent of the land area of the Big Island. The summit caldera contains a lava lake known as Halema`uma`u. Kilauea is an historic volcano which has been erupting continuously since 1983. The volcano is estimated to be between 300,000 and 600,000 years old. In Hawaiian myth Kilauea is home to Pele, the goddess of fire, and many of their songs and dance tell of eruptions that were caused by the fierce and angry Pele. Kilauea was created under a hot spot under the crust. So were the other volcanoes on the Big Island such as Kohala, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai. There have been 34 eruptions since 1952 and 61 eruptions total. In early 1973, an earthquake occurred that caused Kilauea to stop erupting and instead erupt near the craters Pauahi and Hi'iaka. Kilauea is bordered by Mauna Loa volcano (west and north), the Ka‘ū Desert (southwest), ‘Āinahou Ranch (south), and a tropical fern jungle (north-northeast). The littoral Ka‘ū Desert consists of barren lava, crusted volcanic ash, and moving dunes of windblown ash and pumice 10 to 30 feet (3 to 9 metres) high.

When conditions are right on the volcano the lava glows, illuminating the surrounding area in a deep orange glow. There is the Jaggar Museum at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and a visitor’s center which has overlooks for viewing the caldera. On other places in the park visitors can walk through old lava tubes, and view vast expanses of barren lava fields around Mount Kilauea.