Kilauea, << `kee` loh WAY ah, >> is a volcano on the island of Hawaii. Its crater, or caldera, is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) long, 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) wide, and more than 500 feet (152 meters) deep at its deepest point. Its highest rim rises to an elevation of 4,090 feet (1,247 meters). The volcano lies in Hawaii (also spelled Hawai‘i) Volcanoes National Park on the eastern slope of a larger volcano, Mauna Loa.
Halemaumau crater, about 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometer) wide, lies within the caldera. From 1823 to 1924, Halemaumau contained a lake of bubbling molten lava. In 1924, the lake sank out of sight and violent steam explosions took place. Between then and 1954, nine short eruptions occurred there. Kilauea has erupted many times since the mid-1950’s. In 1983, a period of eruptions began that still continues.
