Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano

Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano

Subject – IR and Geography

Context – The ground at the summit of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has been rumbling and swelling in recent days, prompting scientists to warn that the mountain could once again disgorge lava.

Concept –

• The volcano, which is among the world’s most active, has behaved similarly in the past without any magma breaking the surface.
• It’s not uncommon for Kilauea to have earthquakes, which could indicate rocks are moving. It’s also not unusual for the ground to swell as the heat from the sun and saturation from rain can cause the ground to expand and contract.
• However, earthquakes and ground swelling at the same time may indicate magma is on the move.
• It’s occurring at the summit of Kilauea volcano, an uninhabited area within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. This is about 200 miles southeast of Honolulu, which is on a different island called Oahu.
• The last time Kilauea erupted at the southern part of its caldera or crater was in 1974.
• In Hawaiian tradition, Kilauea is home to the volcano goddess Pele.

Volcanoes –

• A volcano is an opening in the earth’s crust through which gases, molten rocks materials (lava), ash, steam etc. are emitted outward in the course of an eruption.
• Volcanic activity is an example of endogenic process.
• Magma is the term used to denote the molten rocks and related materials seen inside earth. A weaker zone of the mantle called asthenosphere, usually is the source of magma.
• Once this magma came out to the earth surface through the vent of a volcano, it is called as the Lava. Therefore, Lava is nothing but the magma on earth surface.
• The process by which solid, liquid and gaseous material escape from the earth’s interior to the surface of the earth is called as Volcanism.

Types of Volcanoes –