Lava Flows

Kīlauea and other active Hawaiian volcanoes are ideal natural laboratories for researching how volcanoes work, because they are easy to access and have frequent eruptions and earthquakes.

Geological monitoring involves frequent field visits to active vents and lava flows to observe and document newly created volcanic features and to sample lava or tephra for chemical and mineral analyses.

Volcano and earthquake hazards occur regularly in Hawaii.

Hawaiian volcanoes have produced explosive eruptions ranging in size and vigor from relatively small lava fountains to large eruptions.

Lava flows on the Island of Hawai‘i are renowned for their frequent occurrence, relatively easy access, land-building ocean entries, and for Hawaiian names that describe their surface textures—rubbly ‘a‘ā or smooth and sometimes ropey pāhoehoe.