Endless Eruption
Kilauea is a volcano in Hawaii. A big eruption began in May. By August, thousands of people had been forced from their homes.

Warren Fintz

CCSS

R.1, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.2, W.5, SL.1, L.6

A Volcano Comes Alive

In May, lava and ash started to pour out of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano. Could the people who live nearby—like 12-year-old Joshua Gula—stay out of danger?

November 2018

By Tod Olson

Courtesy of Family

Joshua Gula

One day last May, 12-year-old Joshua Gula went outside for recess. His school is located near the top of a mountain on Hawaii’s Big Island. But this is not just any mountain. Joshua goes to school on a volcano called Kilauea (kee-lah-WAY-ah). And on this morning, the volcano was wide awake.

Joshua and the other seventh-graders looked west. A dark gray cloud of steam and ash shot thousands of feet into the sky. Kilauea was erupting—2 miles away.

Joshua’s mom picked him up early. On the way home, she stopped the car. They joined a crowd of people taking photos. “We knew right then it would be a historic event,” he says.

One day last May, Joshua Gula went out for recess. Joshua is 12. His school sits near the top of a mountain on Hawaii’s Big Island. But it’s not just any mountain. It’s a volcano called Kilauea (kee-lah-WAY-ah). And this morning, the volcano was awake.

Joshua looked west. A cloud of steam and ash shot thousands of feet into the sky. Kilauea was erupting 2 miles away.

Joshua’s mom picked him up early. On the way home, she stopped the car. They joined a crowd of people taking photos. “We knew right then it would be a historic event,” he says.

One day last May, 12-year-old Joshua Gula went outside for recess. His school is located near the top of a mountain on Hawaii’s Big Island, but it’s no ordinary mountain.

Joshua goes to school on a volcano called Kilauea (kee-lah-WAY-ah)—and on this particular morning, the volcano was wide awake. Joshua and the other seventh-graders looked west. A dark gray cloud of steam and ash shot thousands of feet into the sky. Kilauea was erupting—2 miles away.

Joshua’s mother picked him up early. On the way home, she stopped the car and they joined a crowd of people taking photographs. “We knew right then it would be a historic event,” Joshua recalls.

PAUSE AND THINK: Where is Joshua’s school? What happened there in May?

Land of Volcanoes

Jim Mcmahon/Mapman®

An Island's Hot Spot
Kilauea is located on Hawaii’s Big Island. Lava from the Kilauea eruption near Leilani Estates has flowed downhill toward the sea—burning everything in its path.

People in Hawaii are used to volcanoes. There are five of them on the Big Island alone. Three of them are still active. Kilauea has been erupting on and off since 1983.

Like all volcanoes, Kilauea is fueled by hot melted rock that is trapped underground. This melted rock is called magma. Kilauea’s magma is thin—so it doesn’t blast from the top of the volcano. Instead, it oozes slowly out of cracks in the volcano’s side.

These eruptions are constantly creating new land. When the magma reaches the surface, it’s called lava. As the lava cools, it hardens into rock. It adds land to the side of the volcano. In fact, this is how Hawaii’s islands were created. Land was added over millions of years.

People in Hawaii are used to volcanoes. There are five on the Big Island alone. Three of them are still active. Kilauea has been erupting on and off since 1983.

Like all volcanoes, Kilauea is fueled by hot melted rock that’s trapped underground.

This melted rock is called magma. Kilauea’s magma is thin, so it doesn’t blast from the top of the volcano. It oozes from cracks in the volcano’s side.

These eruptions create new land. When the magma reaches the surface, it’s called lava. As the lava cools, it hardens into rock. It adds land to the side of the volcano. This is how Hawaii’s islands formed. Land was added over millions of years.

People in Hawaii are accustomed to volcanoes. There are five of them on the Big Island alone, and three of those are still active. Kilauea has been erupting periodically since 1983.

Like all volcanoes, Kilauea is fueled by hot melted rock that is trapped underground.

This melted rock is called magma. Kilauea’s magma is thin—so instead of blasting from the top of the volcano, it oozes slowly out of cracks in the volcano’s side.

These eruptions are constantly creating new land. When the magma reaches the surface, it’s called lava. As the lava cools, it hardens into rock and adds land to the side of the volcano. In fact, this is how Hawaii’s islands were originally formed: Land was added over millions of years.

PAUSE AND THINK: What is the difference between magma and lava?

Danger From Below

Today, scientists monitor Hawaii’s active volcanoes constantly. In April, they began to see warning signs. Land on Kilauea’s eastern slope started to swell. Magma was building up under the volcano. As the magma moved, small earthquakes rumbled through the ground.

On May 3, the volcano finally erupted. Cracks opened just above a neighborhood called Leilani Estates. Lava poured from the cracks. Bright-orange fountains of liquid rock sprayed 200 feet in the air.

The lava oozed into lava flows that were 6 feet tall and hundreds of feet wide. The temperature inside the flows reached 2,000 degrees—four times hotter than a pizza oven.

The walls of lava crept downhill toward the sea. They burned everything in their path. By August, 700 homes had been destroyed.

Today, scientists monitor Hawaii’s active volcanoes closely. In April, they saw warning signs. Land on Kilauea’s eastern slope started to swell. Magma was building up under the volcano. As the magma moved, small earthquakes shook the ground.

On May 3, the volcano erupted. Cracks opened just above a neighborhood called Leilani Estates. Lava poured from the cracks. Bright-orange fountains of liquid rock sprayed 200 feet in the air.

The lava oozed into lava flows that were hundreds of feet wide. The temperature inside the flows reached 2,000 degrees. That’s four times hotter than a pizza oven.

The lava moved downhill. It burned everything in its path. By August, 700 homes were gone.

Today, scientists monitor Hawaii’s active volcanoes constantly. In April, they began to notice warning signs. Land on Kilauea’s eastern slope started to swell. Magma was accumulating under the volcano. As the magma moved, small earthquakes rumbled through the ground.

On May 3, the volcano finally erupted. Cracks opened just above a neighborhood called Leilani Estates. Lava poured from the cracks. Bright-orange fountains of liquid rock sprayed 200 feet in the air.

The lava oozed into lava flows that were 6 feet tall and hundreds of feet wide. The temperature inside the flows reached 2,000 degrees—four times hotter than a pizza oven.

The walls of lava crept downhill toward the sea, burning everything in their path. By August, 700 homes had been destroyed.

PAUSE AND THINK: Why were the lava flows so dangerous?

Destruction and Creation

The lava flows haven’t threatened Joshua. He lives about 20 miles uphill from them. But he’s been affected in other ways.

Poison gas leaks out when magma escapes—so Joshua’s family bought gas masks to protect themselves. Joshua’s school has also been shaken by earthquakes. “I’m used to the ground rocking and rolling underneath me,” he says.

In the past few months, Joshua has watched the landscape change. Green Lake is a large lake located on the Big Island. Before May, it was filled with water 200 feet deep. Now it’s filled with lava that is slowly hardening into rock. Lives have changed too. People’s homes have been lost. Businesses are suffering.

Joshua is sad about the destruction. But he also understands Hawaii’s history. “The damage a volcano can do is intense,” he says. “But it’s creating new land. None of us would be living in this beautiful place if it weren’t for volcanoes.”

The lava flows have not threatened Joshua. He lives about 20 miles uphill from them. But they do affect him.

Poison gas leaks out when magma escapes. So Joshua has to use a gas mask. And his school has been shaken by earthquakes. “I’m used to the ground rocking and rolling,” he says.

Joshua has seen the landscape change. Green Lake is a large lake on the Big Island. Before May, it was full of water. Now it’s full of lava that’s slowly hardening into rock. Lives have changed too. Homes have been lost. Businesses are suffering.

Joshua is sad about the damage. But he knows Hawaii’s history. “The damage a volcano can do is intense,” he says. “But it’s creating new land. None of us would be living in this beautiful place if it weren’t for volcanoes.”

The lava flows haven’t threatened Joshua, because he lives about 20 miles uphill from them—but he’s been affected in other ways.

Poison gas seeps out when magma escapes, so Joshua’s family bought gas masks to protect themselves. Joshua’s school has also been shaken by earthquakes. “I’m used to the ground rocking and rolling underneath me,” he says.

In the past few months, Joshua has watched the landscape change. Before May, Green Lake—a large lake located on the Big Island—was filled with water 200 feet deep. Now it’s filled with lava that is slowly hardening into rock. Lives have changed too: Many people have lost their homes, and businesses are suffering.

Although Joshua is saddened by the destruction, he also understands Hawaii’s history. “The damage a volcano can do is intense,” he says, “but it’s creating new land. None of us would be living in this beautiful place if it weren’t for volcanoes.”