Part 4: Hawaii

Eruptions of Hawaiian and most other mid-plate volcanoes differ greatly from those of composite cones.

Mauna Loa and Kilauea, on the island of Hawaii, are known as shield volcanoes, because they resemble the wide, rounded shape of an ancient warrior's shield.

Shield volcanoes tend to erupt non-explosively, mainly pouring out huge volumes of fluid lava.

Hawaiian-type eruptions are rarely life threatening because the lava advances slowly enough to allow safe evacuation of people, but large lava flows can cause considerable economic loss by destroying property and agricultural lands.

For example, lava from the ongoing eruption of Kilauea, which began in J anuary 1983, has destroyed more than 200 structures, buried kilometers of highways, and disrupted the daily lives of local residents.

Because Hawaiian volcanoes erupt frequently and pose little danger to humans, they provide an ideal natural laboratory to safely study volcanic phenomena at close range.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, on the rim of Kilauea, was among the world's first modern volcano observatories, established early in this century.

Part 1: The Link
Part 2: Major Eruptions
Part 3: The Damages
Part 5: Scientific Observation

From: Kious and Tilling, 1996, This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics: USGS Special Interest Publication