Chain of Craters Road
Encyclopedia
Chain of Craters Road is a 23 mile winding paved road through the East Rift and coastal area of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
on the island of Hawaii
, in the state of Hawaii
, United States
. The original road, built in 1928, connected Crater Rim Drive to Makaopuhi Crater. The road was lengthened to reach the tiny town of Kalapana in 1959.
The road has had parts covered by lava
several times due to eruptions of the Kīlauea volcano
.
s, active and dormant lava flows, plumes from lava tube
s and various geographic sites that can be accessed by trails from the road. Caution is urged as these areas are dangerous. There are also scenic views through tropical rainforests, and the seacoast. Next to the park's Visitor Center is the 10 miles (16.1 km) paved Crater Rim Drive around Kilauea Caldera
, off which a short paved road leads to a viewpoint overlooking Kīlauea
, the origin of the 1995 eruption that closed the Chain of Craters Road.
The road begins at 19°24′18"N 155°15′10"W, the highest part of the eastern rift zone
where frequent rains created a rainforest. 3 mi (4.8 km) down the road is the vent
of Kīlauea volcano
. The road goes another 2 mi (3.2 km), passing the group of crater
s for which the road is named and then crosses a narrow flow of pahoehoe lava that erupted in 1974 before it reaches Lua Manu, the first pit crater
. The crater formed through a sinking of the earth surface and not as primarily a vent for lava.
Here lava spilled into the crater in 1974 but did not fill it. The collapsed rubble-filled Puhimau, the second pit crater is 500 feet deep. This crater and the next, a dirt pit crater, Kookoolau, give no idications of recent eruptions. However Kookoolau has pumice
cones on the rim that suggest it formed originally as an eruptive vent
. The road runs into Hilina Pali Road, a winding eight-mile road that dead ends. The road passes Pauahi crater
, and fresh fault scarp
that have been active for more than 1000 years. The road continues through a forest, Kipuka Nene, 1,100 year old trees surrounded by fresh lava.
Toward the sea the road crosses a pahoehoe lava flow. Here can be seen steam from lava tube
s.
Lava flows from the Kīlauea volcano
eruption closed the road in 1969. In 1979 the road was reopened, but it was cut again in 1986 by a lava flow from another eruption of Kīlauea, a volcano that is one of Earth's most active. , Chain of Craters Road is about 23 miles (38 km) long to where it deadends, with the remaining 7.5 miles (12 km) of it buried by lava from different flows from the Puu Ōō vent that occurred between 1986 and 1996. In all, it descends 3,700 feet between Crater Rim Drive and the barren, windy south coast.
.
| publisher = Double Decker Press
| edition = 6th edition
| date = 2007
| location = Mariposa, CA
| url = http://www.doubledeckerpress.com
| isbn = 1-888898-11-9
}}
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. State of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. It encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive volcano...
on the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, in the state of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The original road, built in 1928, connected Crater Rim Drive to Makaopuhi Crater. The road was lengthened to reach the tiny town of Kalapana in 1959.
The road has had parts covered by lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
several times due to eruptions of the Kīlauea volcano
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
.
Route description
The road has paths and road offshoots that allow access to various volcanic views such as pit craterPit crater
A pit crater is a depression formed by a sinking of the ground surface lying above a void or empty chamber, rather than by the eruption of a volcano or lava vent. It is often found in chains or troughs. Several craters may merge into a linear alignment...
s, active and dormant lava flows, plumes from lava tube
Lava tube
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow, expelled by a volcano during an eruption. They can be actively draining lava from a source, or can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a long, cave-like...
s and various geographic sites that can be accessed by trails from the road. Caution is urged as these areas are dangerous. There are also scenic views through tropical rainforests, and the seacoast. Next to the park's Visitor Center is the 10 miles (16.1 km) paved Crater Rim Drive around Kilauea Caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
, off which a short paved road leads to a viewpoint overlooking Kīlauea
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
, the origin of the 1995 eruption that closed the Chain of Craters Road.
The road begins at 19°24′18"N 155°15′10"W, the highest part of the eastern rift zone
Rift zone
A rift zone is a feature of some volcanoes, especially the shield volcanoes of Hawaii, in which a linear series of fissures in the volcanic edifice allows lava to be erupted from the volcano's flank instead of from its summit...
where frequent rains created a rainforest. 3 mi (4.8 km) down the road is the vent
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
of Kīlauea volcano
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
. The road goes another 2 mi (3.2 km), passing the group of crater
Volcanic crater
A volcanic crater is a circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a basin, circular in form within which occurs a vent from which magma erupts as gases, lava, and ejecta. A crater can be of large dimensions, and sometimes of great depth...
s for which the road is named and then crosses a narrow flow of pahoehoe lava that erupted in 1974 before it reaches Lua Manu, the first pit crater
Pit crater
A pit crater is a depression formed by a sinking of the ground surface lying above a void or empty chamber, rather than by the eruption of a volcano or lava vent. It is often found in chains or troughs. Several craters may merge into a linear alignment...
. The crater formed through a sinking of the earth surface and not as primarily a vent for lava.
Here lava spilled into the crater in 1974 but did not fill it. The collapsed rubble-filled Puhimau, the second pit crater is 500 feet deep. This crater and the next, a dirt pit crater, Kookoolau, give no idications of recent eruptions. However Kookoolau has pumice
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
cones on the rim that suggest it formed originally as an eruptive vent
Types of volcanic eruptions
During a volcanic eruption, lava, tephra , and various gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure. Several types of volcanic eruptions have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior has been observed...
. The road runs into Hilina Pali Road, a winding eight-mile road that dead ends. The road passes Pauahi crater
Pauahi (crater)
The Pauahi Crater is a depression 2000 feet long and about 300 feet deep located approximately 3 miles along the Chain of Craters Road on the Big Island of Hawaii...
, and fresh fault scarp
Fault scarp
A fault scarp is the topographic expression of faulting attributed to the displacement of the land surface by movement along faults. They are exhibited either by differential movement and subsequent erosion along an old inactive geologic fault , or by a movement on a recent active fault...
that have been active for more than 1000 years. The road continues through a forest, Kipuka Nene, 1,100 year old trees surrounded by fresh lava.
Toward the sea the road crosses a pahoehoe lava flow. Here can be seen steam from lava tube
Lava tube
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow, expelled by a volcano during an eruption. They can be actively draining lava from a source, or can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a long, cave-like...
s.
Lava flows from the Kīlauea volcano
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
eruption closed the road in 1969. In 1979 the road was reopened, but it was cut again in 1986 by a lava flow from another eruption of Kīlauea, a volcano that is one of Earth's most active. , Chain of Craters Road is about 23 miles (38 km) long to where it deadends, with the remaining 7.5 miles (12 km) of it buried by lava from different flows from the Puu Ōō vent that occurred between 1986 and 1996. In all, it descends 3,700 feet between Crater Rim Drive and the barren, windy south coast.
Conditions
Even if no active lava is visible, Chain of Craters Road is an exceptionally scenic and spectacular drive, but it can be hazardous under poor conditions. Moreover, because of the dangers posed by an active volcano, the government is posting a daily conditions report which should be checked before driving Chain of Craters Road or taking any of its offshoots or trails. In April 2008 the area was rated as dangerous with a high alert because of volcanic activity and sulfurous gasHydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
.
Further reading
i Volcanoes National Park| publisher = Double Decker Press
| edition = 6th edition
| date = 2007
| location = Mariposa, CA
| url = http://www.doubledeckerpress.com
| isbn = 1-888898-11-9
}}