I had the opportunity to see an active volcano while touring Kona. This volcano is not a composite one which means it looks like the cylindrical cones you normally associate with volcanoes. Instead it was a caldera. A caldera is a large hole in the Earth where there was once a powerful explosion or eruption of a volcano. This volcano is called Kilauea.
Within this volcano is the active volcano called Halema'uma'u Crater. Both are located in Hawaii Volcano National Park.
The crater last had some activity in 1974 but is still considered active. Between 1832 and 1923 a lake of lava was in constant motion in the crater. Hoever in 1924 this motion discontinued. During that period of time people could still walk right up to the rim of the crater and look into the fire pit.
There was also constant hot steam coming up from it and surrounding areas. The ground is very hot here and steam escapes through the tall Hawaiian grass.
The eruption that created the caldera was huge but the crater is still considered a volcano even without the caldera. It's floor is 3,421 ft. about sea level.
We also drove by offerings the Hawaiians had made to Pele, the volcano goddess. They usually leave fruit, bread, and flowers.
We also drove by a road that has a lava flow that has blocked it from the once public road.
The crater last had some activity in 1974 but is still considered active. Between 1832 and 1923 a lake of lava was in constant motion in the crater. Hoever in 1924 this motion discontinued. During that period of time people could still walk right up to the rim of the crater and look into the fire pit.
We also drove by a road that has a lava flow that has blocked it from the once public road.
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