Kīlauea - lava show on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi

Kīlauea is a shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, the most active of the five volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaiʻi. It is located along the southern shore of the island. This volcano is 300,000 to 600,000 years old. Kīlauea has a large, fairly recently formed caldera at its summit and two active rift zones, one extending 125 km (78 mi) east and the other 35 km (22 mi) west.

Kīlauea's eruptive history has been a long and active one; its name means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The first well-documented eruption of Kīlauea occurred in 1823, and since that time the volcano has erupted repeatedly. Kīlauea's current eruption dates back to January 3, 1983, and is by far its longest-lived historical period of activity, as well as one of the longest-lived eruptions in the world.

The five volcanoes on the island of Hawaiʻi were considered sacred by the Hawaiian people. In 1916 the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. Since then the park has become a World Heritage Site and a major tourist destination, attracting roughly 2.6 million people annually.

This postcard came from Tere Belcher (7 May 2014) Swap-bot Direct Swap.