Lava Flows: Kilauea volcanic eruption

Lava Spew

Credit: NASA

Kilauea continues to earn its reputation as one of Earth's most active volcanoes. Since January 1983, Kilauea has erupted continuously, coating much of the southeast coast of Hawaii's Big Island in fresh lava, which glows red in this satellite image.

The center of the eruption is Pu'u O'o — a crater southeast of Kilauea's summit.

From here, the molten rock flows through lava tubes down Kilauea's steep slopes. The lava emerges on the pali (a Hawaiian word for cliff) and on the coastal plain, further down the mountainside.