Kilauea is Hawai`i's youngest volcano and one of the world's
most active. Over 90 percent of Kilauea's surface is covered by
lava less than 1,100 years old. In historical time, all of Kilauea's
eruptions have occurred either in or near its summit caldera, or along
the east or southwest rift zones. For the foreseeable future, we can
assume that active vents will be limited to these areas.
Map of current lava-flow hazard zones for lava flows on Kilauea Volcano
The flows erupted since 1800 are shown in gray and dated. The map
(simplified from map reference below) divides the island into zones
that are ranked from 1 through 9 based on the probability of coverage
by lava flows (see table of hazard zone descriptions). Twenty-eight percent
of the area encompassed by Zones 1 and 2 on the east half of the
volcano has been covered by lava since 1955. The major housing
subdivisions on the slopes of the volcano are shown in green.
More detailed information about lava flow hazard zones on Kilauea
can be found in Volcanic
and Seismic Hazards on the Island of Hawai`i and the map
reference below.