Kilauea volcano's lava could fill 45,400 Olympic-sized swimming pools: USGS

KTRK logo
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Eerie scene as Kilauea lava burns red in the night
After the sun went down, lava from Kilauea took on an uncanny appearance as it ravaged the Hawaiian landscape.

Since the Kilauea volcanic eruption began on May 3, it's spewed 113.5 million cubic meters of lava onto Hawaii's Big Island, according to an estimate from the United States Geological Survey.

That amount of lava could fill 45,400 Olympic-sized swimming pools and more than 11 million dump trucks, and it could cover Manhattan Island to a depth of more than six feet.

While that might seem like a lot, the USGS pointed out that it's only half of the lava estimated to have erupted from Mauna Loa in 1984.

To date, the lava has destroyed more than 600 homes. It's covered more than 5,000 acres and is up to 20 feet deep in some places. There's no way to know when the eruption will end or if more lava-spewing vents will open, according to USGS scientists.

1 of 42
Lava flows and hazardous volcanic particles continue to be emitted by Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Saturday, June 9.
Paradise Helicopters

The Associated Press contributed to this report.