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Kilauea volcano, which overlaps the east flank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano, has been Hawaii's most active volcano during historical time. Eruptions of Kilauea are prominent in Polynesian legends; written documentation extending back to only 1820 records frequent summit and flank lava flow eruptions that were interspersed with periods of long-term lava lake activity that lasted until 1924 at Halemaumau crater, within the summit caldera. The 3 x 5 km caldera was formed in several stages about 1500 years ago and during the 18th century; eruptions have also originated from the lengthy East and SW rift zones, which extend to the sea on both sides of the volcano. About 90% of the surface of the basaltic shield volcano is formed of lava flows less than about 1100 years old; 70% of the volcano's surface is younger than 600 years. A long-term eruption from the East rift zone that began in 1983 has produced lava flows covering more than 100 sq km, destroying nearly 200 houses and adding new coastline to the island.
PELE: the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire
Many native Hawaiians have a strong religous belief concerning Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire. According to legend, her spirit resides in the Halemaumau crater on the Kilauea volcano. At one time, she had a short and violent marriage to Kamapuaa, the god of water.Pele routed Kamapuaa from their Halemaumau home and, in a rage, chased him with streams of lava into the sea. This symbolism accurately portrays the often violent interaction of lava and water associated with explosive hydrovolcanic eruptions. Typically, however, Hawaiian eruptions are much more quiescent. The frequent outpouring of basaltic lava on Kilauea is a fitting reminder to the faithful that Pele is alive and well.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Hawaiian eruptions are the calmest of the eruption types. They are characterized by the effusive emission of highly fluid basalt lavas with low gas contents. The relative volume of ejected pyroclastic material is less than that of all other eruption types. The hallmark of Hawaiian eruptions is steady lava fountaining and the production of thin lava flows that eventually build up into large, broad shield volcanoes. Eruptions are also common in central vents near the summit of shield volcanoes, and along fissures radiating outward from the summit area. Lava advances downslope away from their source vents in lava channels and lava tubes.
Fissure eruptions are common occurrences on the "Big Island" of Hawaii. They often begin as a line of vents that gives way to eruptions concentrated at one or two cental vents lying along the fissure. The Pu'u O'o eruptive series, for example, has been erupting basaltic lava on the Kilauea shield volcano since 1983. These eruptions began on January 3 with a six-kilometer-long curtain of fire on the east rift system of Kilauea. Intermittent fissure eruptions soon gave way to a centralized eruption site on the east rift, about 15 km east of the Kilauea summit caldera, which generated a scoria-and-spatter cone, called the Pu'u O'o volcano. In 1986 the Kupaianaha volcano developed about 3 kilometers farther down rift. It erupted smoothed-surface pahoehoe lava until early 1992. Since that time the main eruption site has been centered at Pu'u O'o. These lava flows have created over 568 acres of new land to Kilauea's southern shore and covered 8.7 miles of highway with lava as deep as 115 feet.
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