How did Hawaii form???

View north-northeast across Kilauea's summit caldera and Halema`uma`u crater (left of center)

January 2004, lava flowed out of the crater for the first time since 1998

                                              

      

Crater in 2004

Lava vents over flowing the crater

Mount Kilauea is Hawaii's youngest and yet most active volcano, bulging 60 feet deep into the earth! It first erupted in January 1983 and has been active ever since.

Mt. Kilauea is a shield volcano producing Pahoehoe Lava. Shield volcanoes are the largest types of volcanoes in the world and have fluid lava and are basically, just broad slopes. Kilauea is so large and it's slopes are so gentle that people who are standing on it do not realize that they are standing on the volcano. The eruptions are only soft and gentle because of low viscosity lavas.