Lava spillway from Pu`u `O`o vent on Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i

Photograph by E.W. Wolfe
on 16 June 1983

Lava spillway

Spillways are confined lava channels on the sides of a volcanic cone or shield that form when lava overflows the rim of the vent.


Image shows lava pouring down a spillway from the lip of Pu`u `O`o cinder and spatter cone on the east rift zone of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i.