Hawaii (Big Island)

Big Island Volcanoes

Volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii

The formation of the Hawaiian Islands are a result of hotspot volcanism. The Big Island of Hawaii, in particular, is a result of five (5) major volcanoes - Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Hualalai and Kohala, which combined to make up the island over a period of 70 million years.

The two active volcanoes that you will see at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii are Kilauea and Mauna Loa. According to the Hawaii Center for Volcanology, Kilauea is the one of the most productive volcanoes on Earth in terms of how much lava eruption occurs each year, while Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on Earth.  Below you can find general information on these two volcanoes.

 

Kilauea
Longtitude/Latittude: (19.425 N, 155.292 W)
Summit elevation: 1,222 meters

The Hawaiian name “Kilauea” means “spewing” or “much spreading”, which is in reference to the erupting lava flow. As one of the most active volcanoes on earth, constant eruption has been occurring since 1983. Despite being the most active, Kilauea is the youngest volcano of the Big Island, and is also known as the home of Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess.

Mauna Loa
Longtitude/Latitude: (19.5 N, 155.6 W)
Summit Elevation: 4,170 meters

The Hawaiian name “Mauna Loa” translates to “long mountain”. Mauna Loa is the largest shield volcano in the world and comprises over half of the area of the Big Island.  Due to the fluidity of its lava flow the slope is not steep, as thousands of shallow lava flows (no more than 10 feet) have accumulated and built on itself over time to produce this gently sloping mountain. Eruptions have been occurring for at least the last 100,000 years, with the most recent one dated in 1984. Mauna Loa shares the same hot spot as two other smaller volcanoes, Kilauea and Loihi.