Puʻu ʻŌʻō
| Puʻu ʻŌʻō | |
|---|---|
View at dusk, June 1983
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,290 ft (700 m) |
| Coordinates | 19°23′11″N 155°06′18″W / 19.38639°N 155.10500°WCoordinates: 19°23′11″N 155°06′18″W / 19.38639°N 155.10500°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Hawaii County, Hawaii, US |
| Parent range | Hawaiian Islands |
| Topo map | USGS Kalalua |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 33 years |
| Mountain type | Cinder/spatter cone |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain |
| Last eruption | 1983-present |
Puʻu ʻŌʻō (often written Puu Oo, pronounced [ˈpuʔu ˈʔoːʔoː]) is a volcanic cone in the eastern rift zone of the Kīlauea volcano of the Hawaiian Islands. Puʻu ʻŌʻō has been erupting continuously since January 3, 1983, making it the longest-lived rift-zone eruption of the last two centuries.
By January 2005, 2.7 cubic kilometers (0.65 cu mi) of magma covered an area of more than 117 square kilometers (45 sq mi) and added 230 acres (0.93 km2) of land to the Southeast coast of Hawaiʻi. So far, the eruption has claimed 189 buildings and 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) of highways, as well as a church, a store, the Wahaʻula Visitor Center, and many ancient Hawaiian sites, including the Wahaʻula heiau. The coastal highway has been closed since 1987, as it has been buried under lava up to 35 meters (115 ft) thick.
The hill was initially nicknamed "Puʻu O" by volcanologists, as its position when marked on a map of the area coincided with an "o" in "Lava flow of 1965". Later, the elders of the village of Kalapana were asked to name the new hill, and chose Puʻu ʻŌʻō, meaning hill of the digging stick. The name is also often translated as "Hill of the ʻŌʻō Bird".
The Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption began when fissures split the ground in the remote rainforest of the eastern rift zone. By June 1983, the activity had strengthened and localized to the Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent. Over the next three years, 44 eruptive episodes with lava fountains as high as 460 meters (1,510 ft) stopped traffic at points across east Hawaiʻi. The fallout of cinder and spatter from the towering lava fountains built a cone 255 meters (837 ft) high.
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Wikipedia