March 1990. The first thing people noticed was the smell — the distinctive rotting-egg odor familiar from high school science labs. It was sulfurous gas released by Kīlauea, the most renowned volcano on the Big Island. While that smell wasn’t new, this time, there was something unusual about it.

Seven years earlier, in January 1983, Kīlauea erupted. Much of the activity was at Puʻuʻōʻō, a volcanic cone about 23 miles south of Hilo. From 1983 to 1990, the world’s most active volcano erupted on a regular basis. The vents hissed steam, and Kīlauea gurgled and belched lava to the delight of visitors. Scientists attempted to unlock its secrets, but nothing could quite prepare them for what was about to happen — what Pele, the Hawaiian goddess, had planned for the volcano and the people who lived nearby.

The catastrophe began in March 1990, when breakouts of lava changed direction and flowed down to the historic fishing village of Kalapana, burying 110 homes and the beloved black sand beach. The nearby towns of Kaimū and Kaimū Bay were also buried under more than 50 feet of lava, forever changing the southeast shoreline.

As the lava approached, the residents banded together and moved the famous Star of the Sea Painted Church to a safer location. The church, built in 1927-1928 (and now listed on the Register of Historic Places), contains murals telling the story of Father Damien, the revered missionary priest who tended the victims of leprosy on the island of Molokaʻi. One hour later, the land where the church stood was engulfed in flames. Residents recall the sound of the advancing lava like a runaway train bearing down on them.

Kalapana, Kaimū, and Kaimū Bay weren’t just housing subdivisions. They were communities with a unique cultural and historic way of life. It was difficult for the locals. Then, tourists arrived to view the lava devastation. A resident remarked, “They don’t know the story behind all this destruction. I don’t think that people on the mainland really understand. They just want to take a picture of some lava.”

Kīlauea is one of the most sacred places for Hawaiians. The volcano is home to Pele, the most powerful goddess in Hawaiian mythology, who rules the land with a fiery nature from her home in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater on the slopes of Kīlauea. Pele is both the goddess of the volcano and the volcano itself. Kīlauea is Pele’s creation, and for Native Hawaiians, the steam coming out of the land is proof that the land is alive and has breath.

Some said that it was Pele’s displeasure at how her people were treating her land that caused the mighty and destructive 1990 eruption. The people feared the wrath of Pele, who caused eruptions that reshaped the land, both through destruction and creation. Pele fiercely guarded her domain. It was said that any visitor who removed even one rock or piece of lava from the island would experience Pele’s wrath and suffer bad luck until her stolen piece of land was returned. In fact, each year, the post offices on the Big Island received packages of rocks and lava that tourists removed. Many included notes of apology to Pele and humble pleas for her to release them from her curse.

But the Native Hawaiians in Kalapana, Kaimū, and Kaimū Bay did not mistreat Pele’s land. They revered it, Pele and the culturally historic way of life. Nonetheless, Pele decided to have them start anew. Though devastating, the community accepted Pele’s decisions, and by late 1990, a new lava tube redirected the lava from the Kalapana area back into Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The crisis was over, but the devastation was enormous. While the massive outflow stopped, a fissure on the west flank of Puʻuʻōʻō erupted. This nearly continuous flow was a quiet effusion, and for the next 15 years, Pele sent her lava into the ocean, adding almost 418 acres of land to Hawaiʻi.

In the years following that disastrous 1990 eruption, it had been relatively quiet. Relative being the operative word. Kīlauea is an active volcano, erupting episodically and continuously, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good part is that Kīlauea provides scientists with an opportunity to study the volcano and understand the ebbs and flows of the magma. Kīlauea also provides a major attraction for tourists. The unfortunate thing is that people become accustomed to it and sometimes underestimate what could — and likely will — happen. 

In those last decades of quiet, new homes and areas near Kīlauea developed. Then, on May 4, 2018, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake was a sign that Pele was waking up. The eruption on the lower East Rift Zone began, causing evacuations in the subdivisions of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens. By May 9, 27 houses were destroyed in Leilani Estates. This eruption was the largest of its kind in the last 200 years.

By May 21, two lava flows poured into the ocean, creating clouds of “laze” — a toxic haze cloud made up of hydrochloric acid and glass particles. Some of these glass particles formed lauoho o Pele (“Pele’s hair”), a type of volcanic glass stretched into thin strands. While quite beautiful, these twisted golden-brown strands are hazardous because they can become lodged in skin or eyes. Often seen with Pele’s hair are nā waimaka o Pele (“Pele’s tears”)—small black solidified lava drops that usually appear at the end of strands of Pele’s hair.

By August 2018, lava destroyed over 700 homes in the Puna District, displacing about 3,000 people. Ecosystems were also destroyed, including the beloved Kapoho Tide Pools — a small, vibrant ecosystem of coral and sea life popular for snorkeling and its volcanically heated pools. They are now inaccessible and forever changed.

The continuous 35-year volcanic eruption (1983–2018) is the longest and most voluminous known lava outpouring from Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone in over 500 years, and the eleventh longest-running volcanic eruption in the world.

To better understand Kīlauea, here are some basic facts: The volcano is over 200,000 years old and is the world’s most active volcano. Located on the southeastern part of the Big Island, Kīlauea is a shield volcano characterized by its low profile on the ground. From above, it appears to be the shield of an ancient warrior. It is oblong with eruptions from craters along the southwest and east rift zones or fissures. Initially, it was thought that Kīlauea was a “satellite” of the much larger Mauna Loa volcano; however, scientists now believe Kīlauea is a distinct volcano, although there appears to be some interaction between the two.

The summit of Kīlauea collapsed around A.D. 1500, creating the caldera, a shallow depression on the side of the volcano. It is this caldera that visitors most often visit today. Standing by the guard rails, one can look out over the beautiful Halemaʻumaʻu Crater and Kīlauea Caldera, a nearly three-mile-long and two-mile-wide depression. Viewing the volcano’s activities is thrilling, with plumes of lava jetting up into the air.

Activity at the volcano had remained moderate until December 23, 2024, when a new eruption sent plumes of lava high into the air. Since then, activity at the volcano has been intermittent. Each start and stop of an eruption is noted as an “episode,” and as of May 25, 2025, there have been 23 episodes in this latest eruption. Episode 23 was especially spectacular, with lava fountains reaching heights of approximately 1,150 feet from the north vent and around 800 feet from the south vent. The eruption lasted approximately six hours, during which lava covered roughly half of the crater floor, shot hundreds of feet into the air, and a fast-moving lava river flowed across the crater floor. Scientists reported that this episode marked the most vigorous surface activity of the series, before concluding late on May 25. Although seismic activity has decreased, another episode remains possible.

All episodes have remained within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. But there are hazards. In addition to windblown volcanic glass (“Pele’s hair”), there have been volcanic gas emissions impacting nearby communities. Additionally, there is “vog” — the hazy air pollution from volcanic emissions that consists primarily of water vapor, but also has carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide mixed in. Vog can irritate the eyes and cause breathing difficulties, especially for individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions. When on the Big Island, it’s advised to check the air conditions and take appropriate precautions.

Kīlauea is one of five volcanoes that make up the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. The oldest, Kohala, is considered extinct. Next, Mauna Kea, considered dormant, rises 13,796 feet above sea level. But Mauna Kea’s actual height, if measured from the ocean floor, makes it the tallest mountain on Earth. The third volcano is Hualālai, which last erupted in 1801, but is still considered an active volcano. Then there is Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on Earth, which covers more than 2,000 square miles. Its last eruption was in 2022. Scientists closely monitor Mauna Loa because any eruption of this volcano could have far-reaching consequences.

Volcanoes are dangerous, beautiful, and exciting. While Pele uses them to shape and reshape her land, residents respect the sacredness of this process, acknowledging that the land is alive. They will accept Pele’s direction and always move forward with respect and strength — e neʻe i mua me ka mahalo a me ka ikaika.

For the first time since 2018, visitors can return to Uēkahuna — the highest point on Kīlauea’s summit — where the overlook offers a sweeping view into Halemaʻumaʻu Crater and across the restless caldera. Closed after a series of powerful earthquakes and the dramatic summit collapse that year, the site had remained off-limits as geologists monitored the volcano’s instability. The 6.9-magnitude quake and hundreds of aftershocks damaged not only the overlook but also the nearby Jaggar Museum and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, both of which are now permanently shuttered.

Now, Uēkahuna has been carefully restored. Stabilized stone walls, newly planted native greenery, and replica benches mark a quiet resilience. A path leads visitors along the crater rim, past the footprint of the old museum, outlined with salvaged stones, and into the heart of Pele’s domain.

Meanwhile, the visitor center at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has resumed welcoming those who come with questions, reverence, and wonder. Kīlauea hasn’t settled — 23 eruptive events have occurred since December — but Uēkahuna stands once again as a place to witness, to remember, and perhaps to begin to understand the breath of the volcano that both gives and takes away.

For the latest updates and live views, visit usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/volcano-updates.