<P> Kīlauea has been erupting nearly continuously since 1983 and has caused considerable property damage, including the destruction of the town of Kalapana in 1990 . On May 3, 2018, several lava vents opened in the lower Puna area, downrift from the summit . The new volcanic episode was accompanied by a strong earthquake of M 6.9, and nearly 2,000 residents were evacuated from Leilani Estates and the adjacent Lanipuna Gardens development . By May 9, 2018, the eruption had destroyed 27 houses in the Leilani Estates subdivision . On May 17, 2018 at 4: 17 AM, the volcano explosively erupted, throwing ash 30,000 feet into the air . </P> <P> Kīlauea's eruptive history has been a long and active one; its name means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava . The earliest lavas from the volcano date back to its submarine preshield stage, samples having been recovered by remotely operated underwater vehicles from its submerged slopes; samples of other flows have been recovered as core samples . Lavas younger than 1,000 years cover 90 percent of the volcano's surface . The oldest exposed lavas date back 2,800 years . </P> <P> The first well - documented eruption of Kīlauea occurred in 1823 (Western contact and written history began in 1778). Since then, the volcano has erupted repeatedly . Most historical eruptions occurred at the volcano's summit or its eastern rift zone, and were prolonged and effusive in character . The geological record shows, however, that violent explosive activity predating European contact was extremely common; in 1790 one such eruption killed more than 400 people, making it the deadliest volcanic eruption in what is now the United States . Should explosive activity start anew, the volcano would become much more of a danger to humans . Kīlauea's current eruption dates back to January 3, 1983, and is by far its longest - duration historical period of activity, as well as one of the longest - duration eruptions in the world; as of January 2011, the eruption has produced 3.5 km (1 cu mi) of lava and resurfaced 123.2 km (48 sq mi) of land . </P> <P> Kīlauea's high state of activity has a major impact on its mountainside ecology, where plant growth is often interrupted by fresh tephra and drifting volcanic sulfur dioxide, producing acid rains particularly in a barren area south of its southwestern rift zone known as the Kaʻū Desert . Nonetheless, wildlife flourishes where left undisturbed elsewhere on the volcano and is highly endemic thanks to Kīlauea's (and the island of Hawai ʻi's) isolation from the nearest landmass . Historically, the five volcanoes on the island were considered sacred by the Hawaiian people, and in Hawaiian mythology Kīlauea's Halema ʻumaʻu Crater served as the body and home of Pele, goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes . William Ellis, a missionary from England, gave the first modern account of Kīlauea and spent two weeks traveling along the volcano; since its foundation by Thomas Jaggar in 1912, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, located on the rim of Kīlauea caldera, has served as the principal investigative and scientific body on the volcano and the island in general . In 1916, a bill forming the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson; since then, the park has become a World Heritage Site and a major tourist destination, attracting roughly 2.6 million people annually . </P>

Where do most of kilauea's eruptions occur