Kalapana A Kīlauea, Hawaii, USA story
Natural Disasters
The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō eruption took a destructive turn in March 1990. Breakouts from a lava tube spread lava into the Kalapana community. Images show the entire community, known for its historic sites and black sand beaches, being completely covered with lava. Bright spots in the 1989 and 1991 images are active lava flows.
A church, store, and more than 100 homes were buried under 15–25 m of lava. The devastating event finally ended in late 1990 when a new lava tube diverted lava away from Kalapana and back into Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
Location
Dec. 16, 1989, Landsat 4 (path/row 62/47) — Kalapana, HI, USA
Oct. 11, 1991, Landsat 5 (path/row 62/47) — Kalapana, HI, USA
Feb. 26, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 62/47) — Kalapana, HI, USA
Kīlauea, Hawaii, USA Additional Imagery & Stories
2018 Eruption
On April 30, 2018, rapid changes in the East Rift Zone were detected. The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater floor collapsed. Ground deformation toward the east indicat...
End of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Eruption
Meanwhile, at the summit of Kīlauea, the Halema‘uma‘u crater and surrounding caldera floor subsided throughout the summer of 2018. Kīlauea has somethi...
Pāhoa
On June 27, 2014, new fissures erupted just east of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater and lava advanced rapidly to the east. By late October, lava had advanced 20 km t...
Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō
The 2018 eruption was part of an ongoing eruption sequence that started on January 3, 1983, with fissures breaking out along the East Rift Zone. Over ...