08-27-2007, 03:26 AM
Morganlady, You're correct that for the last thirty years Pele has been content to stay mostly within the national park. If you look at any map of lower Puna however, you'll find several lava flows within the last hundred years that would impact thousands of people in developed areas today. Shield volcanos typically degass by oozing lava through rifts (cracks) in their flanks. Kilauea's east rift extends from the summit to the sea off Kapoho. As studied as Kilauea is, the only thing scientists understand about the future of this eruption, is that it's going to keep oozing lava. The good news is that this type of degassing doesn't usually include violent or dangerous pyroclastic episodes like a Mt St. Helen's. Enjoy life on the rift, but my advice has always been to prepare yourself for interuptions in services, and to live as sustainably as possible.