Kalapana lava fields

The Kalapana lava fields on the southeastern coast of the Big Island mark where Kīlauea's 1990 eruption buried the coastal community of Kalapana under up to 25 meters of lava, destroying over 100 homes and extending the island's coastline seaward. The lava benches and black sand coves that formed from the coastline's interaction with the ocean remain highly dynamic, and more recent flows from the 2018 eruption added new land to the area. The lava entry points — where active flows meet the sea — produce dramatic steam plumes visible for kilometers.