May 30, 1840 Eruption of Kilauea

Name: May 30, 1840 Eruption of Kilauea
Start: 1840-05-30
Location: Kilauea, United States

May 30, 1840 · VEI 0

Kilauea in the United States erupted on May 30, 1840 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 0. It caused a tsunami.

Where it erupted

Kilauea, United States, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: May 30, 1840
Volcano: Kilauea, shield volcano
Country: United States
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 0, non-explosive (eruption column under 100 m)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Location: 19.421° N, 155.287° W

The toll

Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Start Date: 1840 May 30, Stop Date: 1840 Jun 25, VEI 0, damage. (reference #10953)

Other significant eruptions of Kilauea

Every eruption in 1840 The 1800s Kilauea Earthquakes near Kilauea This day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 3347.