Context:
The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island erupted recently, according to an advisory from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Relevance:
GS I: Geography
Dimensions of the Article:
- About Kilauea Volcano
- Shield Volcano
- About the Ring of Fire
Kilauea Volcano
- Kilauea is a highly active shield volcano located on the southern part of the Island of Hawai’i, also known as Big Island.
- It is considered the youngest and most active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands.
- The volcano experiences near-constant eruptions either from vents on its summit caldera or on the rift zones.
Key Features of Kilauea:
- Kilauea has a large summit caldera with a central crater called Halemaumau, which holds significance in Hawaiian legends as the dwelling place of the fire goddess Pele.
- Prior to 1924, Kilauea’s summit caldera contained a lava lake, adding to its geological and cultural significance.
Shield Volcanoes:
- Shield volcanoes are a specific type of volcano known for their basaltic lava eruptions, which are highly fluid.
- Unlike composite volcanoes with conical peaks, shield volcanoes have a broad shape with gentle slopes.
- Shield volcanoes, including Kilauea, are primarily characterized by non-explosive eruptions, unless water enters the vent, leading to low-explosivity fountaining and the formation of cinder cones and spatter cones.
- The Hawaiian shield volcanoes, including Kilauea, are renowned examples of this volcanic type.
About the Ring of Fire
- Many volcanoes in the Ring of Fire were created through a process of subduction. And most of the planet’s subduction zones happen to be located in the Ring of Fire
- It is a string of at least 450 active and dormant volcanoes that form a semi-circle, or horse shoe, around the Philippine Sea plate, the Pacific Plate, Juan de Fuca and Cocos plates, and the Nazca Plate.
- There is a lot of seismic activity in the area.
- 90 per cent of all earthquakes strike within the Ring of Fire
Why are there so many volcanoes in the Ring of Fire?
- The tectonic plates move non-stop over a layer of partly solid and partly molten rock which is called the Earth’s mantle.
- When the plates collide or move apart, for instance, the Earth moves, literally.
- Mountains, like the Andes in South America and the Rockies in North America, as well as volcanoes have formed through the collision of tectonic plates.
- Many volcanoes in the Ring of Fire were created through a process of subduction. And most of the planet’s subduction zones happen to be located in the Ring of Fire
-Source: Indian Express
