Kilauea is the youngest volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Still active, there have been 34 eruptions since 1983. Kilauea is a shield volcano, meaning it covers a wide area and has sloping sides. Kilauea is commonly mistaken for being a smaller part of the neighboring Mauna Loa volcano, but it has its own lava flow system, making it special to the Hawaiian Islands. Kilauea's history of eruptions is long, and the volcano's name actually means "to spit." The oldest documented lava samples date back almost 3,000 years, and the oldest documented human eruption took place in 1823. Kilauea's summit crater caldera has a continually smoking lava lake. The crater is called "Pu'u O'o" and is called a splash cone, which is a typical cone associated with volcanoes with very fluid magma. The partial liquid molten rock that splashes up the sides of the cone is called "splatter." This constant state of lava has an incredible impact on the ecosystem around the volcano. Growing ecosystems are often interrupted by the sulfur dioxide produced by the volcano. This produces acid rain south of the volcano in an area known as the Ka'u Desert. This desert is filled with tephra, a fragmentary volcanic material formed during an eruption. Ironically, the opposite occurs in other areas of the volcano and island, where the volcanic soil and rich volcanic features provide a suitable environment for wildlife to flourish. Another key geological phenomenon is the vast ecosystems that thrive outside the volcano. The southernmost ecosystem is found in Hawaii Volcano National Park and is home to a vast assortment of bird species, including 'akepa, 'akiapola'ay, nene, 'ua'u and... ... middle of paper .... ....and steam was escaping and the vegetation was sparse. It was scary, but exciting at the same time. Less than a mile away was the caldera and it was very surreal to know that just a few steps away was volcanic lava boiling beneath the Earth's surface, waiting to one day erupt again. The ground was flat and cracked all around. We headed back up the dirt road and up the trail through the forest foliage, finally finding our way back after more than an hour of searching and thinking. The Hawaiian Islands are unlike any other place in the world. There is so much foliage and wildlife that you can't find anywhere else, and each island is unique in its own way, without any controversy. This experience with my husband showed me how geologically diverse a given area can be and how nature can affect an ecosystem over a long period of time..