What is Kilauea?

Kilauea is like a giant, ever-bubbling pot that spits out lava from deep inside Earth.

Kilauea is a volcano, and it lives on the big island of Hawaii. It's one of the most active volcanoes in the world, which means it has been erupting for many, many years. Imagine your favorite soda bottle, but instead of fizz, it’s full of hot lava. When pressure builds up inside, Boom! It explodes, and lava flows out like a river.

Deep under the ground, Earth is moving, kind of like when you push your toy cars together and they bump into each other. These movements make magma (hot liquid rock) rise up from deep inside the Earth. When it reaches the top, it comes out as lava through cracks or vents on the volcano’s side. Sometimes it flows slowly, sometimes it bursts out in big explosions, just like when you open a pressure cooker too quickly!