Hualālai is an active volcano on the island of Hawaii, in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the westernmost, the third youngest and the third most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii, after Kilauea and the much larger Mauna Loa. Its peak is located at 8, 271 feet above sea level.
Hualalai
erupts much less frequently than its neighbors, with centuries more than years or decades separating eruptions.The most recent documented activity was a seismic swarm in 1929, which probably corresponded to a magma intrusion into the volcano. Its most recent eruption occurred in 1800-01, and lava flows erupted from 1800-01 underlie almost the entire Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport in Keahole. Future Hualalai eruptions may pose a direct threat to Kailua-Kona and surrounding communities. It is approximately three-quarters of the area of the 1800-1801 eruption, and is the third largest known for Hualalai in terms of area covered.
For residents of the Kona area, note that Hualalai has not erupted since 1801; Mauna Loa is considered active but has not erupted since 1984. USGS Graphic This map shows the location of the Wahapele vent (star) and lava flow (red) at Hualalai volcano. The source of this eruption was the Wahapele Crater, a vent on the southern flank of Hualalai at 1,540 meters (5,053 feet) high. Hualalai, Mount Hualalai, Hualalai Mountain or Hualalai Volcano: it's just one name, Hualalai. Another geologically recent Hualalai eruption was the Wahapele eruption, which probably occurred sometime between 1200 and 1400 AD.
Compared to Kilauea and Mauna Loa, Hualalai poses a different challenge in monitoring changes in activity.
