About 350 - 500 years ago, Kilauea Caldera was much smaller than it is today, or it may even have been full of lava flows. At that time, lava streaming from the summit created this lava tube (called the Thurston lava tube), which is about 4 - 5 meters high. The official part of the trail along the tube is only a few hundred meters long, but the lava flow in which it was created extends almost 40 km from the vent.
From here you can continue on to Stop 8 or you can pick another point from the Kilauea Crater Ground Tour.
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Author: Lori Glaze
Copyright by P. Mouginis-Mark
Curator: Lori Glaze