page_title: Hualālai
section_title: 1800–1801 eruption
hierarchical_section_title: Hualālai / Eruption history / 1800–1801 eruption
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a pit crater on Hualalai volcano in Hawaii, over 100m deep. But it is very unusual as the opening visible on the left side is the top of an open vertical volcanic conduit, and the total depth is 268m. Note the person on the bottom, towards the far wall, right of center, with a white helmet. Español: Cráter-pozo en el volcán Hualalai, Hawaii, de más de 100 m de profundidad. Es un caso particular, pues la abertura visible en la parte izquierda de la imagen es la boca de una chimenea volcánica, gracias a la cual se alcanzan 268 m de profundidad total. Obsérvese el espeleólogo con casco blanco en el fondo, junto a la pared más distante, en la parte central-derecha de la imagen.
context_page_description: Hualālai is an active volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the westernmost, third-youngest and the third-most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaiʻi, following Kīlauea and the much larger Mauna Loa. Its peak stands 8,271 feet above sea level. Hualālai is estimated to have risen above sea level about 300,000 years ago. Despite maintaining a very low level of activity since its last eruption in 1801, and being unusually inactive for the last 2,000 years, Hualālai is still considered active, and is expected to erupt again some time within the next century. The relative unpreparedness of the residents in the area caused by the lull in activity would worsen the consequences of such an event.
  The area near the volcano has been inhabited for centuries by Hawaiian natives, dating back to before recorded history. The coast west of Hualālai in particular had several royal complexes. The volcano is also important ecologically, is home to many rare species and several nature reserves near the summit, and is a popular hiking attraction.
context_section_description: Hualālai last erupted in 1800–1801. This eruption produced very fluid alkalic basalt lava flows that entered the ocean off the western tip of Hawaiʻi island. Although five vents were active at the time, only two produced flows that eventually reached the ocean. The total output volume of the flow is estimated at over 300,000,000 m³ (0.072 cu mi). One volcanic vent, situated high on the slope, produced a large ʻaʻā flow, dubbed the Kaʻūpūlehu flow, that reached the ocean as two distinct lobes. On its way down, it overran a village and a valuable 3 mi (5 km) fishing pond. There is a local legend that after the failure of several offerings of animals and other items to the gods, the flow was finally stopped when Kamehameha I threw a lock of his own hair into the fire. The Ka'ūpūlehu flow is also known for the particularly large quantity of mafic and ultramafic xenoliths that came up with it.
  The other major outflow from the event reached the sea south of Kiholo Bay, destroying the village of Kaʻūpūlehu. This 1801 flow, known as the Huʻehuʻe flow, formed Keahole Point where Kona International Airport is now located, 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Kailua-Kona. The eruption at Hualālai was concurrent with an eruption at the nearby Mauna Loa. It is theorized that, in the near past, Hualālai has had synchronous eruptions with both Mauna Loa and Kilauea.
caption: Na One pit crater of Hualālai volcano
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