What is Kilauea Caldera?
Hello . . . we are Joshua E. and Michael K., your Kilauea Caldera tour guides. We are happy to virtually meet you. Shall we begin? The picture above shows the view from the Kilauea Caldera lookout. Michael took this picture on our excursion in March. This caldera is a large depression found on the southwest flank near the summit of Kilauea Volcano located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Kilauea Caldera has a diameter of 2 to 3 miles. Calderas are formed just like a pit crater. Be sure to stay inside the rails. The loose volcanic material you are stepping on could easily cause you to lose your balance. A drop into this caldera could be as much as 395 feet. Did you hear the crackling and crunching of lava fragments as you walked from the parking lot to the lookout? Ash, lava fragments, and other pyroclastic material in this area were spewed from eruptions in the past. Large boulders, some weighing thousands of pounds, have been shot out the vent as a result of huge explosive steam
