Not all volcanic eruptions are as violent as the 1980 Mount St. Helens even some volcanoes, such as Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, generate relatively quiet outpourings of fluid lava .These "gentle” eruptions are not without some fiery dis occasionally fountains of incandescent lava spray hundreds of meters into the air Nevertheless, during Kilauea's most recent active phase, which began in 1983, more than 180 homes and a national park to visit center were destroyed.