Posted in Hawaii April 07, 2020 by Megan Shute

The Pit Craters In Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Look Like Something From Another Planet

The Hawaiian archipelago was created millions of years ago when underwater volcanoes emerged from the ocean’s surface. With approximately 20 volcanoes ranging in age from 400,000 years to 5.1 million years, the Hawaiian archipelago is the youngest section of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain of volcanoes and seamounts extending across the Pacific Ocean. The volcanic landscapes found across the Aloha State sure are awe-inspiring, but it is the pit craters found within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that will transport you to another world.

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With lava flows less than 1,000 years old covering 90 percent of the volcano, Kilauea is not only the most active volcano in Hawaii but is among the world’s most active volcanoes as well.

The volcano’s first well-documented eruption took place in 1823 and erupted continuously from 1983 to 2018, one of the longest duration eruptions in the world.

Throughout history, Kilauea’s eruptions have caused considerable property damage, but also created some gorgeous geological formations, including pit craters.

Depressions that form primarily as the earth fractures when a volcano shifts or expands, these pit craters are characterized by steep walls and a roughly round or ovular shape.

Common belief is that pit craters are formed through explosive events or the collapse of lava tubes, but that is absolutely not the case.

Ranching in size from 26 to 3,740 feet wide and from 20 to 610 feet deep, there have been seventeen pit craters identified along the East Rift Zone of Kilauea, with several more found along the volcano’s Southwest Rift, the largest of which is Makaopuhi Crater.

These craters are visible at many of the overlooks along the Chain of Craters Road, and no matter how many you see for yourself, you are sure to be amazed and awe-inspired by what Mother Nature is capable of.

Have you witnessed the beauty that are the pit craters of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park? What about some of the other incredible attractions in this epic national park — the recently reopened Thurston Lava Tube, for instance?

Address: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718, USA