For the past 200 years, Mauna Loa and Kilauea have tended to erupt on average every two or three years, placing them among the most frequently active volcanoes of the world . Some intervals of repose between eruptions at a given volcano have been much longer than its long-term average.
For example, Kilauea had a 35-year repose interval between its 1960 and 1983 eruptions. The frequency of volcanic eruptions in Hawaii is due to the fact that Hawaii is located in the middle of the Pacific Plate and is home to a "hot spot" where magma rises from deep within the Earth's mantle.
