The evolution of Hawaiian volcanoes occurs in several stages of growth and decline. The fifteen volcanoes that make up the eight principal islands of Hawaii are the youngest in a chain of more than 129 volcanoes that stretch 5,800 kilometers (3,600 mi) across the North Pacific Ocean, called the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain. [1]

Volcanism on Kaua‘i Island ended about 3.8 million years ago, making it the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. On the Island of Hawai‘i, the youngest of the main Hawaiian Islands, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa are historically the two most active volcanoes, with frequent eruptions.

Nov 29, 2022 · There are six volcanoes that have worked together over the last (give or take) one million years to create the Big Island. These volcanoes formed one after the other and partially overlap. From oldest to youngest their names are: Mahukona, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa and Kilauea.

Jan 16, 2025 · Established in 1961 and formerly a part of Hawaii National Park (established 1916), it occupies an area of 505 square miles (1,308 square km) and includes two active volcanoes — Mauna Loa and Kilauea —25 miles (40 km) apart. The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

Jan 10, 2019 · Steam rises as lava pours into the Pacific Ocean on the Big Island of Hawaii. Over millions of years, volcanic eruptions have not only built the Hawaiian archipelago, they continually transform...

Jan 28, 2025 · In 1955 an eruption in the east rift, accompanied by a series of violent quakes, was one of the most destructive in the island’s history, with lava pouring from fissures over a period of 88 days, destroying more than 6 square miles (15 square km) of …

Feb 27, 2023 · Read a series of publications on the history of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, produced for the park's 100th anniversary in 2016

The Hawaiian Islands are at the southeast end of a chain of volcanoes that began to form more than 70 million years ago. Each island is made of one or more volcanoes, which first erupted on the floor of the Pacific Ocean and emerged above sea level only after countless eruptions.

Hawaii Island Volcanoes. Together, five volcanoes make up the Island of Hawaii (the Big Island): Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. At Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, you can take a guided tour that tells you all about the volcanoes and their history.

Listed below are just a few of the most recent and spectacular eruptions of this highly active volcano. Learn more about Kīlauea, the youngest volcano on the Island of Hawaiʻi. The Maunaiki eruption in the Kaʻū Desert lasted from December 1919 to August 1920.