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Are the past several decades of frequent effusive eruptions typical of Kilauea's long-term behavior? To address this question, we compiled and calendar-calibrated 83 14 C ages (all that we could find, published and unpublished) for lava flows erupted during the past 2500 years. The results show that effusive activity takes place dominantly in episodes lasting several centuries separated by long periods of greatly reduced extrusive frequency. Coinciding with these downturns are periods of episodic explosive eruptions from a summit caldera. Lava flows occurred for at least 200 years before ca. 300 BCE. A period of episodic explosive eruptions lasted from 300 BCE to ca. 1000 CE. Lava flows were again dominant in 1000-1500 CE. Episodic explosive activity occurred over the next ca. 300 years (1500-1800 CE), and lava flows have prevailed since 1800. In the past 2500 years, effusive activity dominated 40 percent …