by Victoria Hunter

Created on: April 20, 2010   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

The Hawai’ian Islands were formed over 70 million years ago as the result of volcanic action on the sea floor. If you think back to your basic geology classes you may recall that there exists, all around the globe and deep beneath the sea, hot spots. These are areas that allow magma to rise to the ocean floor from deep within the earth’s crust. These magma deposits, over the milennia, build up until an island is born.

The Big Island, or Hawai’i as it is named, is currently sitting on a hot spot on the Pacific Plate. This accounts for the volcanic activity on the island which is not quite a secret, but definitely one of Hawai’i’s gems.

Two of the world's most active volcanoes reside on the Big Island: Mauna Loa (the world's largest) and Kilauea, which is the most active volcano on earth, and you are cordially invited to visit.

There are several ways to view Kilauea at work. Most folks will get there by car. If you are staying in Kona, it is 98 miles from the center of Kailua. From Hilo, the trip is much quicker.

It’s important to begin your trek at the Kilauea Visitor Center, located just inside the park. Here, you can pick up information about road conditions, current volcanic activity and safety information.

Whether you drive, bike or hike around the summit caldera, rest assured, Crater Rim Drive will be the most breathtaking 11 mile trip you have ever taken. You will wind through rainforests, desert landscapes and down to the caldera floor. If you have more time, take Chain of Craters Road, a 20 mile trip that just might, depending upon conditions, bring you face-to-face with an active lava flow.

Another way to view the Big Island’s volcanoes is by helicopter. Several companies offer air tours both from Hilo and Kona.

Lava Ocean Adventures is a company that offers boat tours and they claim that they can get you to within 100 feet of where the lava hits the sea with all the hissing and cloud plumes that accompany the spectacle.

The Big Island’s volcanoes belong to Madam Pele. Remember not to remove any lava, even the tiniest bit, from the island lest you incur her wrath. The post offices, Chamber of Commerce and the National Park Service in Hawai'i receive packages of lava rocks daily from folks that took them off the island and were followed by bad luck.

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