AWESOME NATURAL WONDERS
11
KILAUEA
How would you like to stand on the world’s most active volcano?
Well, actually, you can! It sounds scary, but because Kilauea, in
Hawaii, is constantly erupting, it’s safer than some other volcanoes.
It usually releases its lava in a constant, gentle flow, instead of
building it up until it bursts. But Kilauea is still pretty awesome!
ALWAYS ERUPTING
Kilauea is quite low for a mountain.
It’s a type of volcano known as a
shield volcano. The lava that flows
from it is runny and spreads out
quickly, making the volcano wide
and smooth. That makes
it easier for tourists to visit the
volcano and get quite close to the
lava flows. It has several openings,
or vents, where lava escapes.
One of the vents, called Pu’u O’o,
has been erupting nonstop since
1983. The lava usually streams
downhill like a river, but it can
also spit and splatter.
INTO THE WAVES
Kilauea is close to the sea, and
a lot of its lava flows down to
the shore. There, the lava crackles
and explodes as it plunges into the
cold water, and cools superfast.
Gradually, hardened lava from the
volcano builds more and more new
land in the water.
It may not be the noisiest or most
explosive volcano, but Kilauea lets
you get up close to awesome real-life
eruptions and lava flows.
AWESOMENESS
Red-hot lava flows from Kilauea
Volcano, Hawaii.
