Mauna Ulu Lava Flow: Photograph by Will Tenney

Mauna Ulu Lava Flow

On May 24, 1969, following a swarm of earthquakes near the summit of Kilauea, a fissure opened up in the ground spewing forth a stream of lava. It took only about three hours for the fissure to grow to three miles long with lava gushing forth and flowing down towards the sea consuming everything living in its path. At times great lava fountains burst from the main vent, sometimes towering nearly 1800 feet. After erupting for five years, ending during the summer of 1974, lava from Mauna Ulu had created a vast wasteland of solidified lava devoid of any life. Now, over forty years later, life is starting to return. A few spots of green can be seen in this lava flow next to Chain of Craters Road.