The majestic Mount Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii is a shield volcano that began erupting in 1983 and still hasn't stopped today. Being one of the largest active volcanoes in the world, Kilauea (which means "spreading) continues to be the main attraction that draws visitors to the Big Island. Located in the famous Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea's current on-going eruption draws its lava from 60 kilometers in the earth, through the volcano's own internal plumbing system. The fiery molten ooze explodes from the tip of the volcanic cone (called "Pu'u'O'o" meaning "high point on the skyline") and cascades 11 kilometers down the volcanic surface (or "Pulama Pali") into the Pacific Ocean. This breathtaking image of black rock surface, orange fire, rollicking sea waves, and the smoky volcanic fog that surrounds this natural wonder is an absolute must-see for anyone who visits the Big Island.Mount Kilauea's first known eruption was probably about 300,000 to 600,000 years ago; and aside from the eruption that began in 1983, it has erupted 34 times since 1952; these eruptions add about 40 acres of new land every year, explaining the moniker "Big Island," which if measured from the ocean floor is higher than even Mount Everest. Hawaiian folklore is replete with stories of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, volcanoes, violence, lightning, and dance, who lives at Mount Kilauea (and was, incidentally, cast as a villainess in DC Comics' 1990s title, "Superboy"). Legend has it that due to some familial squabbles in a house with more 15 siblings, Pele escaped from her home in Kuaihelani and came to the Big Island's Mauna Loa. Endowed with great powers by the Fire God, Lono-makua, Pele was famed for her deep love and rage towards her family and her many love affairs, also oftentimes marked by rage: many of the young mortals she seduced were not lucky enough to escape the fistfuls of molten lava she hurled at them during her fits of jealousy and anger.
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