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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - The Changing Face of Kilauea

Location of sign - Kilauea Caldera, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Photo taken- June 2009

Text of sign:

The Changing Face of Kilauea

Kilauea Caldera has undergone dramatic change since the 1823 visit of William Ellis, the first western explorer.  In that year, the 

caldera was almost 1000 feet deep, twice as deep as it is today.  An inner pit, several miles across, contained raging lake of 

molten lava.  Throughout the 19th century, these lakes repeatedly overflowed, building up the level of the floor halfway to the brim.

On 4 occasions this process of construction was suddenly reversed by collapses involving the caldera floor.

By 1905, Kilauea Caldera looked much as it does today.  Since the Halema'uma'u Crater has been enlarged and 7 new flows have

been added to the caldera floor.  These changes continue to reshape the landscape in dramatic ways.

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