Kilauea Iki

crater, Hawaii, United States

Also known as: Kilauea Crater

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

Kilauea Iki is a crater located east of Kilauea volcano on the island of Hawaii, United States. In 1959, Kilauea Iki experienced a significant eruption that formed a lava lake 400 feet deep and created Puʻu Puaʻi, a cinder cone. Kilauea itself is one of the world's most active volcanoes, forming a large caldera at its summit and extending along rift zones. Its slopes blend with those of the nearby Mauna Loa volcano. Kilauea's eruptions are typically nonexplosive, often appearing as a boiling lake of lava within its active vent, Halemaʻumaʻu Crater.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Kilauea
Kilauea Iki, a crater directly east of Kilauea, erupted spectacularly in 1959, creating a 400-foot- (120-metre-) deep lake of molten lava and Pu‘u Pua‘i (“Gushing Hill”), a cinder cone near its southern rim. The east rift zone supports numerous pit craters ending in Makaopuhi, with…
Read More
Kilauea Iki, a crater directly east of Kilauea, erupted spectacularly in 1959, creating a 400-foot- (120-metre-) deep lake of molten lava and Pu‘u Pua‘i (“Gushing Hill”), a cinder cone near its southern rim. The east rift zone supports numerous pit craters ending in Makaopuhi, with…
Read More