Around the world, many volcanoes erupt every year. They are not always spectacular, but they show that our planet is constantly changing. One of the main regions where these activities take place is the Pacific Fire Circle, an area of ​​great geological instability.

As much as Kilauea is located in the center of the circle - in the US state of Hawaii - and not at the edges where volcanic activity trends are greatest, on May 24, 1969 a deep crash announced that it was about to erupt. .

Pacific Circle of Fire, with Hawaii centrally located

Lasting a total of 1, 774 days, this spectacular eruption became known as Mauna Ulu and was the longest in at least two millennia.

Prior to the event, Hawaii Volcano Observatory staff noticed that the volcano's magma reservoir was swollen, but did not expect the eruption to last so long. It spawned 12 large sources of lava, making the phenomenon so large that it was called Mauna Ulu - or soaring mountain, in its ancient language.

Natural show

These images are, to date, one of the best records of an erupting volcano, including the photo of a lava dome, one of the rarest phenomena of the time.

Typically, the explosions come in no order, spewing lava everywhere, but this eruption-dome makes it burst into a round shape, creating an incredible look.

Contrary to what it may seem, these photos were taken from a region where the lava was already solidified, not from the sea.

The US Geological Survey Center posted in its Twitter account one of the photos, with the hashtag #tbt, as a reminder of the eruption. It shows a dome that has reached an incredible 20 meters in height. There are records of other times when the lava reached 75 meters, equivalent to a 25-story building!

Dome fountain of episode 10, October 10–13, 1969, eruption of Kilauea Volcano. This dome fountain is about 20 m (65 ft) high. Symmetrical dome fountains such as this are rare. #Tbt #HI @Volcanoes_NPS pic.twitter.com/sKSQaVINKs

- USGS (@USGS) March 29, 2018

Another striking record is the lava cascade, which formed due to how long the eruption lasted.

As distant as the observers were, at times it was necessary to hide behind other stones to diminish the sensation of heat. On other occasions, dry grass near the observation deck caught fire spontaneously due to the intense heat.

Kilauea is still an active volcano, regularly producing lava blast shows. Although it lasted 5 years, this eruption is not the longest recorded. This title belongs to Mount Stromboli in Italy, with records of uninterrupted eruptions since the 7th century BC.