Kilauea Volcano: Location, Eruptions and Volcanic Features

Category: Physical Geography and Disaster Management

UPSC Notes

Kīlauea is an active shield volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi, part of the Hawaiian Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. It is one of the world's most closely monitored active volcanoes.

Major characteristics

  • Location: Island of Hawaiʻi, United States.

  • Volcanic type: Shield volcano.

  • Tectonic setting: Hawaiian hotspot.

  • Typical magma: Basaltic, generally low-viscosity lava.

  • Associated landscape: Broad volcanic slopes, craters, lava fields and rift zones.

How does it form?

A hotspot allows magma to rise through the oceanic lithosphere. Repeated eruptions build broad, gently sloping volcanic structures from successive layers of lava.

Key Pointers for UPSC

  • Kīlauea is in the Pacific Ocean, not on a conventional convergent plate boundary.

  • Shield volcanoes are generally broad and gently sloping.

  • Basaltic lava is usually less viscous than silica-rich lava.

  • Volcanic hazards include lava flows, volcanic gases, ash or other eruptive material, depending on the eruption.

  • Kīlauea is distinct from Mauna Loa, another major shield volcano on the same island.