the piton de la fournaise, a shield volcano on the eastern end of réunion island, rises more than 2,631 metres (8,632 ft) above sea level and is sometimes called a sister to hawaiian volcanoes because of the similarity of climate and volcanic nature. it has erupted more than 100 times since 1640 and is under constant monitoring. it most recently erupted on 2 january 2010. before that, the most noticeable was during april 2007, when the lava flow was estimated at 3,000,000 cubic metres (3,900,000 cu yd) per day. the piton de la fournaise is created by a hotspot volcano, which also created the piton des neiges and the islands of mauritius and rodrigues.