Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park

Volcanic Landscape

The landscape is varied from the expected volcanic lavas (there is more than one kind), to dry forest to rainforest to rocky beach. Calderas, pit craters, lava tubes, crevices, geothermal vents and flowing lava are some of the volcanic manifestations. A caldera is a large, basin-shaped volcanic depression, more or less circular, the diameter of which is many times greater than that of the included vents. A pit crater is a crater formed by sinking in of the surface. It is not primarily a vent for lava.

Five volcanoes make up the island of Hawai`i: Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. Volcanoes that will never erupt again are considered extinct. Dormant volcanoes have not erupted in historic time (the last 200 years in Hawai`i) but probably will erupt again. Active volcanoes have erupted in historical time (the last 200 years in Hawai`i).

• Kohala, the oldest volcano on this island, last erupted about 60,000 years ago and is considered extinct.
• Mauna Kea last erupted 3,600 years ago and is dormant.
• Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea are active.
• Hualalai erupted seven times in the last 2,100 years. The only historic eruptions were in 1800 and 1801. Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984 and sent flows towards Hilo. Kilauea has been erupting since 1983.
• Loihi, a submarine volcano, is 15 miles (24 km) southeast of the island and 3,178 feet (969 m) below sea level. Loihi will probably not reach sea level before 250,000 years or more. Seismicity, geothermal vents, and fresh lava indicate Loihi is active.

Mauna Kea from a distance