Kīlauea Volcano is a shield volcano located on the eastern slope of Mauna Loa Volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i. The volcano is considered to be in the shield-building stage of Hawaiian volcanism.

Kīlauea Volcano is famously noted for her effusive style eruptions with low-viscosity, basaltic lava oozing out of the main caldera and two active rift zones. Basalt magma typically generates very little ash compared to other types (andesite, dacite, and rhyolite).