Week 4- Kilauea Volcano

Visiting Hawaii has long been an aspiration for me. Being able to see Hawaii and all its beauty glory was an absolute trip of a lifetime. Making the trip even more memorable is the fact that I was able to see the remnants of the eruption of Kilauea Volcano.

Kilauea Volcano Eruption

The Kilauea Volcano  an action shield volcano and is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Kilauea is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old. It has been continuously erupting since 1983. In May of 2018, the eruption that occurred caused a great deal of damage; it destroyed dozens of homes and forced approximately 1700 to leave their community. This eruption began with two focal points--an area in the lower east rift zone where the volcano's surface is splitting and the Haleema'uma'u crater that is to the west of the volcano's summit. 

Lava flowing through the Leilani Estates, via Shutterstock

Although technology is growing leaps and bounds, scientists don't really know why the eruption was so volatile. According to Tracy Gregg, an associate professor of geology at the University of Buffalo, "we don't know enough details about the internal plumbing to be able to give really precise answers to this question, the short answer is that a blob of new magma from deep below the volcano got injected up into the volcanic edifice." What does the future hold for Kilauea? On March 26, 2019 it was announced by the U.S. Geological Survey that the Volcano Alert Level had been lowered to NORMAL. 

My visit involved meeting locals that were trying to pick up the pieces, all maintained their positive outlooks and were really happy to be "home". For many, "home" looks different as there are many repairs and rebuilds to be completed. They say you learn a lot people when they are in times of trouble. I believe this to be the case and I learned that the people of Hawaii love their land and their families. I also learned that they have a great deal of resilience and perseverance. 

Local Woman inspecting lava next to her home