Kilauea has now reached the eighth week of its eruption, causing devastation to Big Island’s landscape. Why is Kilauea plagued with earthquakes?

Since Kilauea began to erupt, thousands of earthquakes have shaken Big Island, the majority of these focused around the summit.

More than 600 properties have been destroyed due to lava flows, with thousands of residents evacuated and forced to stay in emergency shelters.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) have measured a staggering 664 earthquakes on Big Island in the past 24 hours alone.

As the earthquakes rock the summit, the structure within Kilauea has eroded causing the Halema’uma’u crater to collapse inside the volcano.