7 Interesting Facts About Hawai‘i Island’s Kīlauea Ongoing Eruption in Photos

Residents of Leilani Estates are forced to evacuate as lava threatens homes near Pāhoa. We review the basics of the ongoing eruption of one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

By HONOLULU team

Video: Diane Lee

Editor's Note: The following numbers were updated on May 7, 2018. The situation has been changing every day. See latest updates on the U.S. Geological Survey's website.

Present

The lava is approaching the Leilani Estates subdivision.

1983

The year Kīlauea’s current eruption began. It’s been going non-stop ever since.

55.6

The amount of land, in square miles, the current eruption has covered in lava, as of December 2012.

215+

The number of homes and other structures the eruption has destroyed.

8.9

Miles of highway the eruption has buried in lava. In some spots, lava is 115 feet thick.

570

The number of acres the Big Island has grown by since 1983, according to 2014 numbers from the U.S. Geological Society.

61+

Episodes of activity, which includes lava fountains, fissures and lava flows.

300,000-600,000

The estimated number of years since Kīlauea first erupted.

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