Kilauea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kīlauea is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of seven shield volcanos that together form the Island of Hawai‘i. In Hawaiian, the word kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading", in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava. It is presently the most active volcano, and certainly the most visited active volcano, on the planet. Kīlauea is just the most recent of a long series of volcanoes that created the Hawaiian Archipelago, as the Pacific Plate moved over a more or less fixed hotspot in the earth's mantle (see, however, Lo‘ihi).

Related Topics:
Volcano - Hawaiian Islands - Shield volcano - Island of Hawai‘i - Hawaiian - Lava - Hotspot - Mantle - Lo‘ihi

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~