You see the photos. Glowing red rivers of fire snaking toward the ocean, steam plumes exploding into the sky, and that eerie, orange haze that settles over everything. It looks like the end of the world. But if you’re actually standing on the ground near a volcano eruption in Big Island of Hawaii, it feels less like an apocalypse and more like a heavy, breathing presence. The earth literally hums.
Most people think of volcanoes as big, explosive mountains that pop their tops like a soda bottle. That’s not Hawaii. Here, we deal with shield volcanoes. Kīlauea and Mauna Loa aren't these steep, jagged peaks. They’re broad. They’re massive. They’re basically giant piles of basaltic lava that have built up over hundreds of thousands of years. When they "go off," it’s often a slow-motion disaster that you can outwalk, yet it’s completely unstoppable.
The 2018 Leilani Estates eruption changed everything we thought we knew about how these events play out in residential areas. It wasn't just a crater overflowing. The ground opened up in people’s backyards. Fissures. Twenty-four of them. One day you’re mowing the lawn, and the next, a crack in the asphalt is screaming like a jet engine and spitting molten rock 200 feet into the air.
The Reality of Living on an Active Shield Volcano
Living on the Big Island means making peace with Pele, the Hawaiian deity of fire and volcanoes. It’s not just mythology; it’s a cultural framework that dictates how locals view the land. You don't "own" the land here in the way people do in the Midwest. You’re just borrowing it until the lava decides it wants it back.
Kīlauea is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet. Honestly, it’s almost always doing something. From 1983 to 2018, it was in a state of near-constant eruption. Then it took a breather, only to start up again in the summit crater, Halemaʻumaʻu.
What's wild is the sound. People expect a boom. Usually, it’s a metallic clinking. As the lava cools, the rock shatters and glass-like shards tinkle against each other. It sounds like breaking lightbulbs. Then there’s the sulfur dioxide. SO2 is the real villain for most residents. It mixes with sunlight and moisture to create "vog" (volcanic smog). It’s thick. It’s acrid. It makes your throat feel like you’ve swallowed a handful of dry crackers.
Mauna Loa vs. Kīlauea: Knowing the Difference
Don't mix these two up. Kīlauea is the "younger" sibling that’s always getting into trouble. It’s lower down on the flank. Mauna Loa, however, is the largest active volcano on Earth. When it erupted in late 2022 for the first time in 38 years, the entire island held its breath.
✨ Don't miss: Taking the Ferry to Williamsburg Brooklyn: What Most People Get Wrong
Mauna Loa is a different beast because of its sheer scale. When it erupts, the volume of lava is staggering. In 1950, lava from Mauna Loa reached the ocean in less than three hours. You can’t outrun that in a car if you’re caught on the wrong side of the flow. Luckily, the 2022 event stayed mostly in the high-elevation Northeast Rift Zone, sparing the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, though it got dangerously close.
What Actually Happens During a Major Event?
First, the earthquakes start. Not big "drop and cover" ones, usually. Just a constant, unsettling jiggle. The USGS (United States Geological Survey) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitors these with incredible precision. They see the magma moving underground long before it breaks the surface. They watch the mountain "inflate" like a balloon.
Then comes the "curtain of fire."
Magma hits the surface and becomes lava. Because Hawaiian lava is low in silica, it’s "runny"—well, as runny as molten rock can be. It flows. It creates tubes. These lava tubes are basically underground pipes that keep the rock hot and moving for miles. You could be standing on a field of cold, black rock and have a river of 2,000-degree liquid fire flowing five feet beneath your boots.
The Danger Nobody Talks About: Laze and Pele's Hair
Everyone worries about the fire. Nobody thinks about the glass.
When lava hits the ocean, a chemical reaction creates "laze" (lava haze). It’s a mix of hydrochloric acid fumes and tiny glass particles. It’ll dissolve the finish on a car and do worse things to your lungs.
🔗 Read more: Lava Beds National Monument: What Most People Get Wrong About California's Volcanic Underworld
Then there’s Pele’s hair. It’s thin strands of volcanic glass blown by the wind. It looks like golden straw. If you touch it, it splinters into your skin. If your dog eats grass with Pele’s hair on it, it’s a vet emergency. It’s beautiful and incredibly dangerous.
Planning a Visit During an Eruption
If you're heading to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park because you heard there's an active volcano eruption in Big Island of Hawaii, you need to be smart. This isn't Disneyland.
- Check the USGS Volcano Updates daily. The situation changes in hours, not days.
- Respect the Kapu (Taboos). If an area is closed, it’s not because the rangers want to ruin your fun. It’s because the ground is unstable or the gas levels will literally knock you unconscious.
- Footwear matters. Flip-flops (slippers) on a lava field? Absolute madness. The rock is as sharp as a crate of broken Guinness bottles. You need boots.
- Water. The heat radiating off a fresh flow is intense. It dehydrates you faster than you realize.
Most tourists head straight to the Jaggar Museum overlook area (though the museum itself was damaged in 2018 and remains closed). The best views are often at night. The glow against the clouds is something you’ll never forget. It’s a deep, pulsing crimson that makes you realize just how thin the Earth’s crust actually is.
Is it safe?
Mostly, yes. The civil defense teams on the Big Island are probably the best in the world at managing volcanic risk. They have to be. But "safe" is relative. You’re visiting a place where the landscape is being actively rewritten.
If you have asthma or respiratory issues, vog is a serious problem. On heavy vog days, the Kona side of the island (the leeward side) gets hit hard. The air looks like a dirty New York City summer, but it smells like matches.
The Economic and Emotional Toll
We talk about the science a lot, but for the people in Puna or Ka'u, an eruption is a tragedy in slow motion. In 2018, over 700 homes were destroyed. These weren't just vacation rentals; these were generational farms and off-grid communities.
💡 You might also like: Road Conditions I40 Tennessee: What You Need to Know Before Hitting the Asphalt
Insurance companies often won't cover lava damage in high-risk zones (Zone 1 and 2). When the lava comes, you just watch your life disappear. There’s a famous video from the 2018 eruption showing a slow-moving flow swallowing a Ford Mustang. It’s agonizingly slow. The car doesn't explode. It just crushes and then melts.
Yet, people stay. They return. Why? Because the soil that comes from broken-down lava is some of the most fertile on Earth. And because there is a profound beauty in being present for the birth of new land. The Big Island is literally growing every day.
Actionable Steps for the Informed Traveler
If you are planning a trip or currently on the island during an active phase, don't just wing it.
- Download the "HVO" (Hawaiian Volcano Observatory) bookmarks. They provide the most accurate tiltmeter data and GPS deformation maps. If the line goes up sharply, the mountain is inflating.
- Monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI). Use sites like PurpleAir to see real-time sulfur dioxide levels in residential areas like Pāhoa or Ocean View.
- Respect the "Aina" (Land). Do not take lava rocks home. Locals believe it brings bad luck (and it’s technically illegal to remove items from a National Park). More importantly, it’s disrespectful to the culture that has lived alongside these giants for centuries.
- Hire a local guide for hikes near the flow. They know the "puka" (holes) and the unstable benches. A "lava bench" is new land built over the ocean that can collapse without warning, taking anyone on it into boiling water.
The volcano eruption in Big Island of Hawaii isn't just a news headline. It’s a living, breathing process. It reminds us that the Earth isn't a finished product. It’s still being made, one flow at a time. Go see it, but keep your distance and keep your eyes on the gas reports.
Essential Resources for Real-Time Tracking:
- USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO): The gold standard for daily updates and webcam feeds.
- Hawaii County Civil Defense: This is where you go for evacuation orders or road closure information.
- National Park Service (NPS): Check this for specific trail closures within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.