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Eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano: The largest active volcano in the world, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, started erupting on Sunday for the first time since 1984, breaking the longest stretch of silence ever documented. Around 11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, brilliant, hot lava erupted at the volcano’s peak, turning the night sky above Hawaii’s largest island a hellish crimson.
Eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano: Key Points
- According to the U.S. Geological Service (USGS), the lava is contained within the summit and does not yet pose a hazard to Hawaiians who live downslope.
- On Monday, the service issued a warning to locals that volcanic gases and fine ash might fly in their direction.
- Mauna Loa, one of the sequence of volcanoes that created the Hawaiian islands, rises 13,679 feet (4,169 metres) over the Pacific Ocean.
- The main settlement on the island, Hilo, was within 5 miles (8.05 km) of the lava flow when it last erupted in March and April of 1984.
Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano: Emergency Management
Despite stressing that there are no indications that lava may harm populated areas and that there have been no evacuation orders issued, Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency said it had opened two shelters on the island as a precaution. About half of Mauna Loa’s recorded eruptions have only affected the summit.
