Kīlauea is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. Located along the southeastern shore of Hawai'i Island, the volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and emerged above sea level about 100,000 years ago. Historically, it is the most active of the five volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea is also one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, with the most recent eruption occurring in September 2023 when multiple vents erupted lava for a week within the volcano's summit caldera inside Halemaʻumaʻu crater.