Page 76 - Super Earth Encyclopedia

RIVERS OF FIRE WORLD’S

KILAUEA MOST ACTIVE

The big island of Hawaii is a mass of huge volcanoes. VOLCANO
These have erupted from the Pacific Ocean floor, which
lies 18,000 ft (5,500 m) below the waves. Kilauea is the
youngest and most active volcano—a simmering pot
of basalt lava that regularly boils over and flows away
from the volcano in rivers of liquid fire, all the way to
the coast. The lava often solidifies at the surface but
continues to flow underneath the solid rock, pouring
downhill in streams of molten basalt that spill into the
sea amid clouds of steam. The liquid lava flows so fast
and so far that it has formed a broad, gently sloping
shield volcano rather than a steep cone.

AT A GLANCE

• LOCATION Hawaii
• VOLCANO TYPE Oceanic shield
volcano
• AREA 579 sq miles (1,500 sq km)
• HEIGHT 4,091 ft (1,247 m) above
sea level

STATS AND FACTS

SURFACE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY
Five volcanoes have
combined to form the About 70% of the The eruption that
volcano’s surface
started in January
big island of Hawaii— is formed of lava 1983 continues
Hualalai, Kilauea, flows less than today, flowing
600 years old.
down to the sea.
Kohala, Mauna Kea, AGE OF VOLCANO TOTAL HEIGHT
and Mauna Loa.
FIRE AND STEAM complex on Earth. Kilauea is 600,000 Kilauea’s total
These form the
highest volcanic
height from the
years old, but
Pacific Ocean floor
appeared above
sea level about
is over 22,150 ft
(6,750 m).
100,000 years ago.
OLDEST EXPOSED LAVA
2,800
YEARS
OLD
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