of the ease of access to many of its volcanic activity. On February 24, 2000, an article came out, which was entitled Breakouts result from tube blockages. It stated:The intrusion of magma into the upper east rift zone of Kilauea on February 23 caused minor but noticeable changes in the opening eruption. Lava continued to enter the tube system at Pu’u’O’o, but blockages in the tube above the pali resulted in many breakouts on the active flow field. (Hawaii Center for Vocanology)Kilauea shares the hot spot with its larger active sibling Mauna Loa, and with the Loihi Seamount.Mauna Loa or “Long Mountain” is the largest active volcano in the world. In fact it is one of the tallest mountains in the world. The Mauna Loa and other active volcanoes on the island have tended to erupt on an average of every two to three years, placing them among the most frequently active volcanoes in the world. Mauna Loa like all the volcanoes in Hawaii are called shield volcanoes. This means it is a gently sloping mountain produced from a large number of generally very fluid lava flows. The volcano has been erupting for at least one hundred thousand years, possibly more, from a primary volcanic center at the mountain summit (The Knowledge Adventure Homepage).Hualailai is the third youngest and third most historically active volcano on the island of Hawaii. Though Hualalai is not nearly as active as Mauna Loa or Kilauea, our recent geologic mapping of the volcano shows that eighty- percent of Hualalai’s surface has been covered by lava flows in the past five thousand years. Hualailai is considered a potentially dangerous volcano that is likely to erupt again in the next one hundred years.When asked about the Hawaiian volcanoes, most people imagine the big island and its eruption at Kilauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes. But East Maui, or Halekala, has witnessed eruptions in the past ten thousand years. Thus, the volcanoe...
