Kilauea
is one of the most studied volcanoes on the planet. It's being constantly monitored.
The best way to check out the area is to take Crater Rim Drive around the crater.
The crater is actually tilted, resulting in a high wall on the north side and
slopes to no wall on the south side.
These are some steam vents at the north side, which is a short walk from the road.
The interesting part is that they blocked off an area around the steam vents in
the first picture on the left. The reason? Some time ago a park ranger dropped
a flashlight into the vent, decided to go down to retrieve it, and ended up dying
from the fumes. Her body was found the following morning.
These pictures are of Halema'uma'u, which is considered a sacred place by the
native Hawaiians. It's the home of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire. Notice
the offerings of fruit and other items in the pictures.
These pictures are of the Southwest Rift Zone and the 1982 lava flow.
