Kilauea, Hawaii

Introduction

In 1984 an eruption started on Kilauea's East Rift Zone. Massive lava fountaining first built up a cinder cone, later called Pu'u'o, but soon the eruptive center migrated Eastward where the beautiful Kupaianaha lava lake and shield formed. Lava flows, mostly through tunnels, soon reached the Pacific Ocean. Activity has been near-continuous ever since, but the eruptive center these days is at the Pu'u'o crater once more.

For information on Kilauea's recent eruptive activity please visit the beautiful USGS-website of the Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory. The following pages are not meant to «compete» with the USGS material, but rather to complement it. Jürg Alean visited Hawaii's «Big Island» in 1989 and 1991. Many of the photos then taken were used to illustrate STROMBOLI ON-LINE's photoglossary.

In order to give you a good feeling for a typical Hawaiian effusive eruption, we have arranged some of the most spectacular views as a virtual field trip, which lets you follow the flow of the lava from its source, the Kupaianaha lava lake, all the way to the Pacific Ocean.