Mount Kilauea: The World’s Most Active Volcano

This article was written by Phin Upham.

Located at the southeastern tip of the island of Hawaii, Mount Kilauea is speculated to be the world’s most active volcano. A mere bulge of the landscape, the mountain looks unassuming from the topographical perspective. For many years, the mountain was thought to be an extension of the nearby Mauna Loa volcano, but recent research shows clearly that Kilauea is its own mountain, complete with a magma system that extends 60 km into the Earth.

To Hawaiians, the name Kilauea refers only to the summit caldera, but scientists have adapted the name to denote the entire curving coastline of volcanoes.

Kilauea is home to Pele, the volcano goddess, and the natives have a rich oral history that details the moments when Pele has grown angry with the people and caused eruptions. The mountain has erupted 34 times since 1952 and activity has been continuous since 1983. These frequent outbursts contributed to the iconic cinder-and-spatter crater that we associate with volcanoes, and lava flows tend to be viscous and slow moving. The lava flow added over 500 acres of new land to the southern shore of Kilauea, consuming more than 200 structures as the lava poured from the mountain top.

About the Author: Phin Upham is an investor at a family office/hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media & Technology group. You may contact Phin on his Phin Upham website.