Hawaii Volcanoes National Park includes the summits and rift zones of two of the world's most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
Kīlauea has been in nearly continuous eruption since 1983. Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984.
Volcanic features found within the park include calderas, pit craters, cinder cones, spatter ramparts, fumaroles, solfataras, pahoehoe and ʻaʻa lava flows, tree molds, lava tubes, black sand beaches, and thermal areas.
Useful Terms*
- ʻAʻa: Hawaiian word used to describe a lava flow whose surface is broken into rough angular fragments.
- Cinder Cone: A volcanic cone built entirely of loose fragmented material (pyroclastics.)
- Fumarole: A vent or opening through which issue steam, hydrogen sulfide, or other gases. The craters of many dormant volcanoes contain active fumaroles.
- Lava Tube: A tunnel formed when the surface of a lava flow cools and solidifies while the still-molten interior flows through and drains away.
- Pahoehoe: A Hawaiian term for lava with a smooth, billowy, or ropy surface.
- Spatter Rampart: A ridge of congealed pyroclastic material (usually basaltic) built up on a fissure or vent.
