<P> The length and origin of these eruptions have also varied . Events last anywhere between days and years, and occur at a number of different sites . Half of all eruptions occur at or near Kīlauea's summit caldera . Activity there was nearly continuous for much of the 19th century, and after a reprieve between 1894 and 1907, continued onwards until 1924 . There have been five historical eruptions at the volcano's relatively quiet southwestern rift zone, and 24 along its more active eastern rift zone, mostly along its upper section . </P> <P> The volcano's observed history has mostly been one of effusive eruptions; however, this is a relatively recent occurrence . Prior to the arrival of the first Europeans on the island, Kīlauea was the site of regular explosive activity, evidenced then by tribal chants referencing the volcano's fickle nature, and today by geological records of an explosively active mode of past activity . Although explosive activity still occurs at the volcano, it is not as intense as it once was, and the volcano would become much more dangerous to the general public if it returned to its old phase of activity once more . </P> <P> Kīlauea erupted in 1823 and 1832, but the first major eruption since the 1790 event occurred in 1840, when its eastern rift zone became the site of a large, effusive Hawaiian eruption over 35 km (22 mi) of its length, unusually long even for a rift eruption . The eruption lasted for 26 days and produced an estimated 205 to 265 million cubic meters of lava; the light created by the event was so intense that one could reportedly read a newspaper in Hilo at night, 30 km (19 mi) away . </P> <P> The volcano was active again in 1868, 1877, 1884, 1885, 1894, and 1918, before its next major eruption in 1918--1919 . Halema ʻumaʻu, then a small upwelling in the caldera floor, was topped by a lava lake that then drained, before refilling again, forming an enormous lava lake and nearly reaching the top edge of the caldera before draining once more . This activity eventually gave way to the construction of Mauna Iki, building up the large lava shield within the caldera over a period of eight months . The eruption also featured concurrent rift activity and a large amount of lava fountaining . </P>

When was last time volcano erupted in hawaii